Past Lives
by Kirika-sama
Summary: Sequel to 'Absence'. An old enemy rises and an old hero returns, both chained by the past.
1. Prologue Eternal Sleep

Past Lives - By Kirika

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A Sailor Moon shoujo-ai Rei/Usagi fanfic, sequel to Absence.

She's back! You know who! _ This fic takes place a couple of months or so after the conclusion of my other story, Absence. Reading Absence beforehand is not necessary, but references are made to it.

As a quick refresher: Rei and Usagi are together, bonded as Usagi and Mamoru used to be; Ami and Makoto are together; Chibi-Usa and Hotaru are sort of together; Haruka and Michiru are together naturally; Setsuna is alone but has a thing for Rei; Minako is alone but has begun to look to Setsuna for company; and Mamoru is alone but still allied with the Sailor Senshi.

This story will centre on Rei/Usagi mainly, with emphasis on Rei as the main character. Minako will likely get a lot of attention as well. Primary focus is on the Inner Senshi also.

As with Absence, this story takes place before Stars and is a bit like a 'default' Sailor Moon universe, following the anime world but mixed with some elements from the manga world. I don't want Sailor Moon overpowered (she's at Super Sailor Moon level). ^_^

Expect violence and yuri, weird youma names, a whole lot of angst, and the threat of character death.

Western naming conventions are used, and Japanese suffixes are omitted (so no -chans and -samas), as are other Japanese terms where possible. Some select few are maintained however, like odango atama. ^_^

**So this series returns to FF! Hope it goes better than Absence. You can read the first story at my site. Check my profile.

- Kirika

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Prologue - Eternal Sleep

"Here. It's here." Chamista looked up at the building's façade, squinting through the darkness at the human scrawl painted on the signboard. Her lips moved, mouthing the alien language, before she sneered at her failure. She'd never gotten a good grasp on this world's written word, despite being gifted as she was in the arcane. Chamista's lacking had been her boon, however. Cast aside to the reverse ranks by her master, she had survived where Lord Thrinakie had fallen to Earth's guardians.

"La Crepe," Shuthiru murmured beside her. "Some sort of feeding hall." While a weaver of magicks like Chamista, Shuthiru was monumentally weak in the art and thus subservient to the more talented mage. Even Shuthiru's human form was less aesthetically pleasing; mousy and frail, dull hair and petite body, the face of a peasant; so… mundane. Like a servant should be, Chamista supposed. Chamista reasoned it helped smooth Shuthiru's infiltration among the human cattle, but being ordinary was a painful prospect to her. She was *not* ordinary.

Chamista smiled at her stunning reflection-for human standards-in the feeding hall's front window-long straight blue hair well past her slender shoulders, perfect alabaster skin and light blue eyes, the oval face and delicate features surely of a human goddess. She was beautiful in her own body; why should she not be the same in human skin?

A gruff cough. "Should I batter down the wall?"

Chamista's eyes shifted disparagingly to the brute fouling her reflection. What remained of Khairephon's troops had abandoned the secondary headquarters in-Yokohama, was it?-after the maniac's death to link up with the other Lords and Lady in this city of Tokyo. Unfortunately some of them had survived as well. Good fighters, but that was all they thought about. Little better than weapons to be pointed at the enemy and released.

"No. You want to wake up the humans and bring their law enforcement down upon us? *Think*," Chamista harshly chastised. "Avishul."

The youma turned her head towards Chamista, barely able to be seen in the shadows cast by the streetlights. In Makareus's service shadows were Avishul's realm, and she dwelled in them still. Her human mask mirrored her obsession; black hair that fell in such a way that it shaded most of her face, and dusky skin that blended into the night.

Avishul didn't verbally answer Chamista's summons, but Makareus's agents were a different breed, sinister in their dealings and eerie in their methods.

"Open the way," Chamista said.

It took a second for Chamista to realise Avishul was no longer there, and the click of La Crepe's door unlocking from the inside signalled the shadow dweller had carried out her mistress's bidding. "Go," Chamista ordered.

Within the building Chamista let her senses reach out around her, feeling underneath the veil of reality with mystical fingers. "Yes…" she breathed. "There was a breach here."

Chamista walked past the tables and chairs to the rear of the feeding hall. It was faint; very faint. The magicks were dormant and on the brink of unravelling, but a tear definitely existed, and small enough to be manipulated by her. A hope at last. It was not of Pandemonium's making-but wherever it led was better than this dimension. Forging a brand new inter-dimensional portal back to home required too much power on this plane, though not even the giant, albeit unstable, rip in space-time at the communication tower could be prised open again a mere inch by Chamista's magicks. She had not attempted the feat of course until a long time after it had closed, which might have been to her effort's detriment. The youma had not been about to risk a fatal encounter with Earth's rampaging guardians, nor had she been willing to perform the spell while space-time was still in flux from whatever was disturbing it. She was but one mage, after all. It hadn't been Pandemonium's portal; the disturbance had existed before that fissure, and grown in strength before finally settling down following Makareus's defeat and the portal's collapse. Another time, another place and Chamista might have liked to investigate it, but all she wanted now was to see the familiar sight of home.

Chamista's appearance shimmered, her human disguise melting from her luminescent green skin. Slightly curved golden horns sprouted from her chaotic blue hair, the mane teased into many upturned waves and spikes; her pupils had narrowed to vertical strips; a pair of fangs pressed against her bottom lip; and a thick tail lazily swayed behind her, through the slit in the back of her red robes. The youma adjusted her half a dozen pendants and necklaces around her neck and shook out her wrists, settling the chains and bracelets around them. Each trinket had a purpose, and a way of augmenting her power. Chamista would need every scrap to tear between the fabrics of reality, even if she was only reopening the modest tear.

Taking a moment to steady herself, Chamista let her magicks flow through and fill her body, nearly to the degree of consuming it. Her jewellery gleamed brightly, and then burned to white flares, adding their own energy while throwing up barriers that stopped her body from ripping itself apart. Funnelling the power through her fingertips, she sought the edges of the tear and wrenched it wide open, desperation robbing her of finesse and caution. She needed a way home.

Reality parted before Chamista and the other youma like drapes thrown aside, another world touching this one.

"You did it," Shuthiru gasped. "Can you hold it? We should get the others."

"Of course I can hold it!" Chamista snapped, causing Shuthiru to flinch. Her arms shook and sweat had appeared on her brow, but it *would* hold once she had placed the proper mystical restraints. "We should explore the other side before bringing anyone. You might not think it possible, but the world could be worse than this one."

Shuthiru nodded, and eyed the portal with new vigilance.

"Bah," the brute barked. "Waiting is for cowards." He leapt through the cleft, into the murky, craggy world beyond.

Chamista wasn't angry. That he had lived showed that she had set the locks correctly. Her charms and ornaments gradually dimmed as she let the power inside her die, leaving her panting heavily and shaking slightly. "It's safe."

Chamista walked through the portal, Shuthiru following. If Avishul did as well, she treaded lightly and stuck to the dark.

"It's just rocks. Rocks!" the brute roared, changing from human into his true self as he raged, smashing his massive, dark orange fists against said mere rocks. They crumbled like clumps of dirt under his assault and cracks fanned out as spider webs from his blow on the remaining rock face, as if infected with some kind of rot.

Chamista was more optimistic, taking in the cavernous environment first before forming an opinion. She sensed the dimension to be rather small; a pocket plane perhaps, similar to the ones Lord Thrinakie had been fond of. A labyrinth of metallic dark blue rocks surrounded her, even overhead, with no obvious way forward. There was power here however; faint and vanishing, like the portal had been, but once grand and devastating. But there was no way home from here. The fabric of reality was a close match for the human dimension, as if the two were sisters, and as a result no good to Chamista. Whatever it had been, it was all but a dead world now.

"There's something here," Shuthiru called.

Tucked in a corner; seemingly discarded and forgotten judging by the layers of dust upon it and where it had been carelessly placed; was a huge opaque crystal. And encased inside that crystal suspended in time was a man.

"He looks human," Shuthiru remarked as she circled the crystal, though not daring to venture within arm's reach.

"So do we, when we wish it," Chamista said idly, preoccupied with appraising the find. The eyes could easily lie, and in this case they did; she could sense that this man wasn't quite human.

The youma walked up to the crystal and laid a hand on one smooth face. Yes, the feeling was clearer now. Almost human, but… more. He was clad in a uniform-grey, with red trim. Possibly military…. Another guardian, perhaps? He appeared wounded inside his translucent shell, lending credence to a warrior past.

But what was he doing here? He must be imprisoned for a reason; the horrified expression frozen on his face said he hadn't done this to himself, or at least not intentionally. How long had he slumbered in this dying world?

"We waste our time!" the brute bellowed. "There's nothing here!" He stormed off a few steps, before reeling around again. "You are *useless*! We should be keeping up the fight, and forcing the Sailor Senshi to open a way to Pandemonium! They are but a handful of warriors, we can-!"

"Silence!" Chamista yelled over her shoulder, her voice rising to an unnaturally thunderous timbre with the enhancement of a small cantrip. Rocks tumbled from the ceiling and walls and plumes of dust spat from every crevice. This world would not hold for visitors for long. "Our masters are dead," Chamista continued at her normal pitch, glancing at the fragile rock walls warily, "yet you believe we can defeat the Sailor Senshi where they could not? You are a fool, not long for this life I suspect."

The brute growled and stormed off again, but held his tongue which was good enough for Chamista, who eagerly returned her attention to the peculiar discovery. She closed her eyes and delved deeper with her honed senses, mystical probes divining the crystal's-and its occupant's-properties. "He teeters on the edge between life and death, neither truly dead nor truly alive, but existing in both realms the same." A wide grin split Chamista's face. "There is power. Whatever conjured this crystal was a great being, wielding a potent power. It has weakened greatly, like the portal and this dimension, but its memory is still gloriously terrifying." Perhaps it could be harnessed. Perhaps it was the boost to Chamista's own power needed to open the tear at the communication tower.

"Can you free him?" Shuthiru asked.

"Oh, I can," Chamista said, opening her eyes. Of course she could; she wasn't pathetic like Shuthiru. Although, if the old magicks hadn't decayed…. "I can. He hangs between living and dying, and all he needs is a little push in one direction…."

Shuthiru jumped back as the crystal exploded, shards flying past Chamista as she smiled triumphantly.

"-AAAAAaaaahhhhh…!" The man screamed before his voice cracked and failed him, and he fell forwards onto his hands and knees, tiny crystal flakes shaken from his mop of blonde hair. He took a few shuddering breaths. "Q-Queen Beryl…" he choked out, panting.

"Nooo…" Chamista chimed at length, "but you *can* consider me your queen."

The man clutched a hand to his head a moment, then finally looked up at his saviour and sneered viciously. "Get away from me, beast."

Chamista sighed and looked over to the brute. "Destroy him," she said coolly.

The muscle-bound brute grinned and lumbered his massive frame towards the man, raising his fists to hammer him to a pulp against the rock floor. The youma didn't notice the crystal shard that vibrated beside the man.

The human suddenly roared and sprung to his feet, swinging his fist up at the brute, the crystal splinter flying from the ground and moving in concert with his arm. Energy burst in the man's hand as it and the crystal smashed into the youma's chest, a cobalt-blue gory mess and a bloody shard bursting out his back, a gaping hole left behind. The brute flew backwards, hitting the other side of the cavern before disintegrating slowly into ash.

The man turned to Chamista, hate in his eyes and his fist raised for another blow, when as suddenly as it had come his strength left him, and he collapsed to his hands and knees once more, his breathing laboured.

One corner of Chamista's mouth curled upwards in a shrewd half-smile while Shuthiru stood nearby, quailing at the brute's demise. "You could be useful."

Chamista knelt down to the man and delicately lifted his chin so she could look him in the eye. "I seek power," she said. "Tell me, or I'll put you back to sleep-a waking sleep that'll have you spend eternity staring at this empty cavern."

The man clenched his teeth and made fists with his hands, but he was beaten. He had slumbered too long.

"There's… a jewel," he said, his every word strained. "A crystal, the finest you've ever seen. The Ginzuishou."

"Where?" Chamista breathed. "Tell me."

"Tokyo." The man snarled, baring his teeth, glaring into space. "Sailor Moon…. Usagi Tsukino!"

Chamista eyes lit up. A powerful jewel in the hands of one of Earth's guardians. The brute had been correct in his desire to fight after all. Ironic. "The Sailor Senshi. Are you friend or enemy of theirs?"

"Enemy," the man spat. He banged his fist against the rock. "Enemy!"

Chamista stood, looking down at the human. "Your name," she said.

The man turned his glare up at her, his dark eyes piercing her. "Jadeite."

* * *

Sailor Pluto stood guard at the Door of Time, Garnet Rod erect in hand, staring into the opening's void. Absolute silence pervaded this dimension of grey stone walls and pillars and arches to infinity. It existed outside of time and space just as she did; severed from reality but an integral part of it. Eternal. Lonely.

But it was her burden to bear, and she would not force it on anyone else. Though there was no one else. She served as silently as Time itself, rewarded as witness to countless lifetimes and possibilities, the knowledge of all hers to possess, but never to command, no matter how agonising it was to simply watch as tragedies unfolded that she knew were fated.

It wasn't always bad. Pluto found ways to pass time without end. She used the Door like a window, privy to any time or place in existence. Any person, from birth to death. And sometimes, rebirth.

Sailor Pluto smiled softly, watching her as she walked the halls of the Crystal Palace, centre of Crystal Tokyo in the thirtieth century, age of the new Silver Millennium-a time when the beautiful girl had become a beautiful woman, a beauty that would last forever. Sailor Mars, Mars's Princess, but Pluto would always think of her as Rei. Just like Her Majesty did.

The bottom of Rei's stunning red gown kicked up as she picked up her pace, her expression carefully controlled, but Sailor Pluto could tell her excitement. Court was over.

Rei passed King Endymion in his full formal dress-purple tuxedo and white mask, medals on his lapel, fresh from court himself-in the corridor, who smirked at the Princess knowingly. Rei, for her part, clenched her jaw tight, however that was all. Age had tempered her a bit, but she was still the Senshi of Passion and Fire underneath the indifferent posturing.

Sailor Pluto lingered on King Endymion a short while before returning her vision of the timestream to Rei. She still felt a little something for the dashing man, although it had waned as a certain raven-haired girl had wormed her way into her heart, sometime in the twenty-first century. Thus the Senshi of Time had watched Rei almost exclusively since then. Or to be accurate, this incarnation of her had always been watching Rei in this timeless place. Pluto had seen her birth, seen as she dealt with the loss of her mother and the abandonment of her father, witnessed her grow, become a miko, become a Senshi, fight and die and live again, and fall in love. She'd watched Rei's life thousands of times, seen variations of just as many, but she never tired. It was all Pluto had. She could remember talking to Rei, fighting beside her, and even the taste and sensation of that one kiss. And it had been Pluto doing those things, and yet it hadn't been her. She had always been *here*, at the Gates. She would always be here. Watching, only watching.

Rei broke out into a smile when she saw the double doors of the Neo-Queen's private chambers. She couldn't hold it in now.

Rei breezed past the pair of palace guards who saluted her before looking across the doors at each other knowingly after she had gone, almost mirroring King Endymion's earlier lopsided grin. Sailor Pluto smiled broader too. They tried to be so proper in court and in public, modest with their mutual affection and strict in their respective royal roles, all the while pretending Crystal Tokyo and the rest of the galaxy didn't know what was behind those meaningful looks and fleeting touches. A King and Queen may have ruled the Silver Millennium, but it was a Princess that ruled the Queen's heart.

Rei shut the chamber's doors as Neo-Queen Serenity turned to face her, tiara symbolising her station atop her blonde head and dressed in a stately white gown of unrivalled splendour-except perhaps for Rei's own-meeting the Princess's smile with one to match. They rushed across the room, embracing as only lovers could, their lips finding each other's with a hunger finally being fulfilled.

Sometimes Sailor Pluto felt guilty watching their affection in this manner. But it *was* her duty.

"Usagi," Rei whispered when the two women eventually had to part for air, left breathless by their kiss and mounting desire. Rei was the sole Sailor Senshi that still called Neo-Queen Serenity by that name. Underneath the exquisite clothes and priceless jewels, the air of authority and the galaxy at her beck and call, Neo-Queen Serenity was still the clumsy girl Usagi Tsukino to Rei.

Rei pressed her cheek to Serenity's and bade the blonde look ahead with her as she lifted her hand. Flames sprang from her pointed finger as Rei drew a burning heart hanging in the air, then, pulling her finger back-

The image flickered, and Sailor Pluto stood bolt upright from where she was beginning to slouch against her Garnet Rod. For a moment Endymion was in Rei's place, holding Serenity close to him, and Pluto inherently knew they were married. And then the Neo-Queen's chambers were gone, as was the Crystal Palace and Crystal Tokyo, the land scorched and barren. The Silver Millennium no longer existed.

Sailor Pluto seized that thread of time, tracing it back frantically for the source of the disruption. Her eyes widened at what she saw at a certain point in the twenty-first century, amazed at the power and shaken by it. To break those laws…!

Time drifted further back into the past as Sailor Pluto hefted her Garnet Rod into both hands and prepared to do her duty as Guardian, an image of Rei coalescing in the void….

* * *

To be continued….

Author's ramblings:

Senshi = soldier

Ginzuishou = Silver Crystal

Miko = Shinto Priestess


	2. Perfect

Past Lives - By Kirika

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The first real chapter!

I must say it's interesting continuing this Rei/Usagi story again. Absence was my first fic, and I think my writing style (and quality, I hope!) has changed (for the better) since then. Hopefully that will make for a story that has much (*much*) less grammar, spelling, plot, and continuity errors. *crosses fingers*

That said I suspect it's going to be hard as hell living up to the subject matter of Absence. Nothing's worse than a sucky sequel, so hopefully the plot I have will be a match for the original. Writing about affection between the established couples will be fun though! _

- Kirika

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Chapter 1 - Perfect

This was it. The final battle. Alone they faced each other, two bitter enemies in a feud that could never be put peaceably aside. In this ravaged war zone they met for the last time. Ash fell from the blood-red sky and the ground was scarred and burnt from countless other fights-violence was what this land knew, and was a fitting arena for the pair. There was no pity in their eyes, no mercy would be sought or given, and there would be no remorse for the loser.

"Once and for all, it's to be decided," Usagi said gravely. "Only one of us is walking away from this."

"Yes," Rei replied coldly. "*Me*!"

The warriors threw themselves at each other without hesitation, fists striking at the same instant, knocking them both back. Rei grimaced and dropped low, sweeping with her leg at Usagi's, hoping to rob the girl of her own. But the blonde was too quick, somersaulting over her head and kicking her in the back.

"You're going to have to do better than this!" Rei snarled nonetheless.

She sprung from her crouch, smashing her elbow into Usagi's face, blood spraying as the warrior staggered. Grinning, Rei punched the other girl twice in the chest in quick succession and finished with a solid spinning kick to the head. Usagi was sent whirling to the ground, hitting hard.

"Not looking good for you, Usagi!" Rei taunted again, still grinning wildly.

Usagi climbed to her feet and jumped at Rei, however the blonde's incoming attacks were greeted with the raven-haired girl's raised arms, blocking the furious barrage. Rei tried the leg sweep again, this time easily tripping Usagi onto her back. The blonde couldn't take much more of this.

"Alright, limiter released!" Usagi cried, standing once again.

Rei rolled her eyes and charged forwards, hoping to end the bloodshed with a single devastating combo, when suddenly Usagi warped backwards in a blur and was propelled in a spinning ball into the air, before diving like a rocket into Rei, spearing her again and again and again.

Rei wobbled, blood spurting from nearly everywhere, and then collapsed, her life drained.

"K.O.! Player one, win!" intoned the announcer.

"Yessss~!" Usagi squealed, standing up and jumping up and down around her bedroom, wireless controller waving above her. The long tails hanging from her blonde trademark dumplings on either side of her head jumped with her, as though sharing their owner's excitement.

Rei remained seated cross-legged on the floor, stunned. "What…. What was that?" she exclaimed, staring at the television screen for answers. "What was that?" she yelled again, turning around to confront Usagi. "This is *so* fake. You can't do moves like that in real life. Fake! This is ridiculous! I don't even know any special moves. You cheated!"

"Whatever, Rei! I am the grand champion of the world!" Usagi said, her victory celebration undaunted by the other girl's vehement protests. "Except for Shingo," she admitted, deflating a little. "I still can't beat him. Guess that makes me just a plain old champion, right?"

"Why don't you *cheat*, you're sure to beat him then," Rei grumbled matter-of-factly, tossing her controller aside.

"Rei~!" Usagi whined. "I didn't cheat! You just… well, you just, um, suck." The blonde awkwardly smiled and lifted her shoulders sheepishly, suddenly interested in one of her giant plush bunnies that was conveniently located well away from Rei.

"Thanks," Rei deadpanned. "Once I learn to cheat like *you* I'll be better."

"Rei~!" Usagi whined once again, returning her gaze to the miko. "Now you're just being mean!"

Rei folded her arms huffily and turned back to the television, her back to the other girl.

"Reeeee~iii…" Usagi drawled softly before her whisper was next to Rei's ear, and her arms wrapped around the raven-haired girl's neck from behind.

Rei's smile was blissful as she felt Usagi's warm body mould against hers and the blonde's breath caress her cheek. She brought her hands up to Usagi's arms, holding them around her, and closed her eyes, relishing the moment. She felt Usagi's smile tug against her cheek, followed by her Princess's gentle lips.

"I love you," Usagi said quietly afterwards.

And she meant it. Sometimes Rei still had trouble believing it; it was too wonderful, too *perfect* to be real. Every morning she woke up thinking that yesterday's heaven must have been a dream, yet the dream and reality were proven the same time and again. Happiness like this wasn't supposed to be possible except in books and in movies; in fantasy; least of all for Rei. But here it was, and it was hers.

Usagi loosened her embrace and circled around to sit in front of Rei, fitting in the Senshi of Passion's lap. Rei slowly opened her eyes to an understanding, patient and caring smile on her girlfriend's gorgeous face. "I love you too," Rei said, gazing into Usagi's blue eyes and rubbing one of the blonde's arms up and down, both of them still enfolded behind the miko's neck.

"I won't suddenly just stop, Rei," Usagi said sincerely. "You're in my heart; you're a part of it. You make it whole."

Rei lowered her head, embarrassed. Her Princess saw everything. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Usagi said. She grinned and ran her fingers through Rei's bangs. "I never knew you could be this cute!"

"What do you mean by that? I'm cute," Rei said defensively, lifting her head to frown at Usagi. "I was always cute."

"Um, sure you were…" Usagi said, stretching the words so they were anything but heartfelt. She tapped a thoughtful pointed finger against her bottom lip. "Never cuter than me, though."

"Now I know this isn't real," Rei dryly retorted.

"Rei~!"

Usagi pushed Rei over as the miko giggled unrepentantly, the blonde sitting on top of her, straddling her and pinning her wrists to the floor. It was always like this-the squabbling; the seemingly hot and cold moods; the teasing. It must drive their friends crazy. Rei wondered if they realised her fights with Usagi were very rarely serious. It was just how the Senshi of Fire and the Moon Princess were. They were still the bickering best friends butting heads, only now much more than that. No matter the argument or the insult, just behind it was the affection they shared for each other, with kisses and laughter readily afterwards. Their barbs were blunted, their anger lukewarm…. It was their love that was genuine.

"Wait, U-Usagi…. I'm- I'm on a controller…" Rei complained, struggling to get it out from under her.

Usagi wasn't listening. She leaned down gleefully and kissed Rei full on the mouth, her tongue numbing the raven-haired girl to the hard plastic digging into her back. Rei's eyes fluttered shut and she leisurely danced with her lover, her own tongue joining Usagi's in matched rhythm, tasting and feeling.

The girls' lips separated with a soft wet smack, and Usagi touched Rei's cheek, staring deeply into the miko's equally rapt amethyst gaze. Her other hand crept to the hem of Rei's t-shirt, shy fingertips tickling just underneath at the suddenly sensitised skin. She had that certain glimmer in her eyes; that certain smoulder in her look; that certain cast to her face, half-guarded, half-inquisitive, and all wanting.

Rei sighed and angled her head back, glancing out the bedroom's only window at the darkened sky. "We shouldn't…" she whispered. She favoured Usagi's yearning with regret and her own burgeoning longing. "We'll have tomorrow."

"We can be quick," Usagi whispered back, her hand pushing under Rei's top, tracing her taut stomach, coming close to her chest.

Rei's breathing had become heavy, and she had to swallow to moisten her dry mouth. "You're never quick," she smirked rakishly.

Usagi smiled coyly and got off of the miko, walking to her bed and sitting on its edge. "Only because you can't get enough of me, Rei," she declared innocently. "That's not my fault."

Rei rolled over and climbed to her feet, idly rubbing the spot where the controller had been jabbing into her. "Don't flatter yourself, odango atama," she said.

Usagi just kept smiling. She knew it was true.

Standing with one hand on her hip, Rei released a long, deep resigned breath and walked up to Usagi, before bending down so she was face to face with her. "Alright, I can't." The Senshi of Fire shrugged. "I've no dignity when it comes to you." Rei smiled broadly, unmoved. There was nothing she wouldn't give up for her one true love.

A reddish tinge dusted Usagi's cheeks and she bowed her head, though her eyes stayed timidly with Rei's. Rei felt her face start to heat in tandem, finding it difficult to keep looking her Princess in the eye.

"Usagi, dinner!" Ikuko called, rapping on her daughter's bedroom door.

Rei and Usagi leapt apart as the door opened a second later, the blonde almost banging her head on the wall adjacent to her bed while the miko stood on that pesky game controller and almost stumbled into the TV.

Ikuko looked between them in the doorway; smiling brightly and oblivious to the havoc she'd caused. A ladle was in her right hand, although why she had brought it upstairs was a Tsukino-brand mystery. Rei swallowed hard and said nothing, deciding she had a need to admire Usagi's posters, while the blonde was even less wily and simply sat, looking down at her hands, squirming and coming across like guilt incarnate.

"Usagi, dinner," Ikuko said once again, the break in the silence easing the awkwardness only a fraction. Ikuko Tsukino, Usagi's mother, was accepting of her only daughter's romantic relationship with her best friend… somewhat *too* accepting. Rei still remembered the 'talk' she and the woman had had that one morning. How could she forget it? It had followed her first real date with Usagi and her first night naked in Usagi's bed, held in Usagi's arms after overwhelming passion and love had dictated that sleep would be a secondary need. There had been a lot of firsts that night. The two experiences; one with mother and one with daughter; had been *enormously* different in terms of enjoyment. Ikuko was either the greatest mother for a girlfriend to have, or the worst. Rei couldn't settle on one over the other, but on occasions like this she leaned towards the latter.

"Oops, I'm sorry!" Ikuko suddenly apologised, hopping back and closing the door, though peeking through the tiny gap she had left. She batted her eyelashes innocently. "I was interrupting something, wasn't I," came her slightly muffled voice. "I know you girls need your privacy!" The way she said it just unabashedly screamed that 'privacy' entailed all sorts of deviant bedroom frolicking… which she endorsed. Yes, definitely the worst mother for a girlfriend to have.

Rei and Usagi looked at each other, pained. This was why they tried not to sleep together in the Tsukino house when the blonde's parents were home. It was just too weird. The thought of Ikuko listening to their vocalised lust and affection and nodding away in approval was just…. No. Not to mention the rest of Usagi's family perhaps getting an earful. That first morning after in the apparently thin-walled Tsukino house was to be relived as seldom as possible-when Ikuko Tsukino and Kenji Tsukino were around to comment and cringe respectively, at any rate. As for Shingo, Rei didn't want to traumatise him, or risk turning him into some pervert, and naturally Usagi wasn't exactly comfortable with her brother hearing her either. Rei did miss Usagi's bed and her room, however, and always savoured it when they did find themselves alone in the house… or willing to go ahead with their love regardless of who was home.

"Mama, *please*~!" Usagi finally cracked, half-wailing and half-whining, bouncing to her feet to confront Ikuko.

"Rei, are you staying for dinner? I can set an extra place," Ikuko asked, astoundingly somehow ignorant to the strain she was inflicting on her mortified daughter. Rei didn't fair very well with the stress either of course, but the Moon Princess had to live with the awkwardly candid woman.

"Ahh…" Rei looked uncertainly over her shoulder out the window again. "I don't know. It's getting late…."

"Stay for dinner, Rei!"

The door swung open and a pink-haired head popped out from behind Ikuko's long skirt, belonging to a young pint-size girl around Shingo's age dressed in a blue sailor fuku. Some of her vivid locks were gathered up in twin bunny ear buns piled on top of her head, the sisters to a certain blonde's dumplings. "Usagi should've invited you!" She pulled down one eyelid with her finger and blew a loud raspberry at the offending teenager.

Usagi made a face and stuck out her tongue in answer, then folded her arms and turned up her chin away from the girl, a real picture of maturity.

Rei loosed a longsuffering sigh. You wouldn't think they were mother and daughter the way they acted. The 'Pink Terror'-if Usagi was to be believed-was Chibi-Usa, the Princess's child from the Silver Millennium, some distant time in the future. Her initial visit to this century had been to solicit aid from the Sailor Senshi, however now she was apparently a Sailor Senshi herself in training, and was living in the Tsukino household posing as Usagi's cousin to further that end-except mostly she just got under the blonde's skin somehow. Rei supposed they were too alike to get along when they were both at this young age. Chibi-Usa's real name was even Usagi; her nickname was the product of the older Usagi stubbornly establishing her original claim to the name. Rei, and probably everyone else who knew the pair and their quarrels, had been thankful that Chibi-Usa had come to accept it.

"Now, now," Ikuko lightly chided, "let's not pressure her if she can't."

"Pleaaaaaase, Rei?" Chibi-Usa begged anyway.

Rei turned to Usagi and saw her Princess had ceased sulking and was looking at her with hesitant hopefulness, her face doing all the asking. How could Rei resist either Usagi. Grandpa and Yuuichirou would have to cope with another evening without her at the Hikawa Jinja.

Rei put her hands on her knees and bent down to Chibi-Usa. "Only if you're there too," she said with a smile.

Chibi-Usa beamed back at her, and nodded earnestly. "Rei's sitting beside me!" she announced a moment later to Ikuko, looking up at the woman.

"No she's not!" Usagi cried, seizing Rei's arm. "Mama, tell her!"

Rei heaved another sigh as her chin wearily dropped to her chest. Usagi treated Chibi-Usa like an annoying kid sister, but the miko couldn't do that. Rei felt the weight of responsibility whenever she looked upon Chibi-Usa… because she was looking at her own child. Usagi wouldn't birth the diminutive princess by herself; somehow, through the magic of the Ginzuishou and their mutual love, life would be joined between Rei and Usagi-or Neo-Queen Serenity, as the blonde would be known as in the Silver Millennium. At least that was how Chibi-Usa had explained it, in a muddled, convoluted way that included Sailor Mercury originally taking a crack at facilitating Rei and Serenity's biological prerogative, but the study apparently proving too slow for the impatient couple. The heiress still hadn't said if it was Rei or Serenity who would carry her to term, and when the miko prodded Setsuna for that information the woman simply smiled enigmatically, and somewhat irritatingly. At any rate, it would have to be Serenity. Rei was ninety-nine percent sure. Eighty percent sure. Pretty sure.

"Let her sit next to me this time, Usagi," Rei coaxed, straightening while the blonde still clung to her arm.

Usagi gaped incredulously at her, as if Rei had just told her she was actually an alien, and had whipped out the tentacles to prove it. "Why?" the Princess eventually got out following several moments of speechless staring.

Rei patted Usagi's hand consoling where it was on her forearm and favoured the teen with an apologetic look. Rei tried her best to handle Chibi-Usa like a mother would, however she'd not had her own mother for most of her life and the responsibility of having a child had been abruptly thrust upon her, leaving her pretty much feeling her way blindly towards what she hoped was good parenting. She took cues from Ikuko where she could, being that the woman was the sole fulltime mother Rei was regular witness to, although at her own discretion, naturally. The notion of talking to Chibi-Usa like Ikuko had to her was up there with Rei's worst nightmares. Generally Rei endeavoured to be a fine example for Chibi-Usa, and indulge the pink Princess when she was able. Unfortunately that typically came at the cost of upsetting Usagi. Usagi hated it that Rei 'always' took Chibi-Usa's side.

Chibi-Usa grinned jubilantly, though it was not an innocent smile the way it was directed at Usagi, who quietly seethed at the younger girl's mocking joy. "Let's go, Rei!" Chibi-Usa said; taking Rei's hand and leading her out the bedroom while Usagi was left to scurry behind, holding the Fire Senshi's other arm.

It was impossible to tell that Chibi-Usa had truly hated Rei a scant few months ago. Fearing for her very existence and for the sake of her then father, Mamoru, Chibi-Usa had strongly fought against Rei being in love with Usagi. She hadn't been the only one scared either, with Hotaru actually coming to blows with Rei as Sailor Saturn. Needless to say it had been a tense time back then. But the turn around Chibi-Usa had experienced was startling, though very welcome. She now even called Rei 'Rei-mama' sometimes. *That* had taken some getting used to. Setsuna had explained that it was the new timeline settling in, ironing out the paradoxes and reforging destinies. Rei had just been grateful that Chibi-Usa was the same person she remembered her as. Apart from having an additional mother, the little princess still had pink tresses and red eyes, and took after Usagi. The infatuation with Rei was something entirely novel however, much to Usagi's fury. The blonde really should have anticipated it; it had been the same when she'd been dating Mamoru.

At the Tsukino dinner table a ceasefire had been dealt, with Chibi-Usa at the foot of the table beside Rei, and Usagi seated to the right of the raven-haired girl resulting in everyone being happy… until the troublemaking pair fought over the new prize-pork cutlets, and who got how many. Shingo just groaned and concentrated on eating and maybe managing to sneak away one or two cutlets, while Kenji seemed bent on pretending nothing was happening at the other end of the table, and Ikuko simply tittered lightly as if the whole thing was normal, which, for the Tsukino household, it really was. Rei was accustomed to it as well; this wasn't the first occasion she'd shared a meal with her girlfriend's family. However, despite the relaxed and fun-loving atmosphere, Rei maintained her table manners and politeness before Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino at all times. She wanted them to like her, even though they probably did already; that everyone acted as themselves at the table with Rei present was testament to that. Usagi's family accepted Rei here; they accepted *Rei*, and her intimate involvement with their daughter and sister.

The threat of being hit with splattered food notwithstanding, Rei liked sitting at Usagi's dinner table. Around her was what a real family was like. She'd never known it before loving Usagi. Her mother was gone and her father was as good as gone, and while her Grandpa strived to provide her with a sound home environment, it wasn't like this. Rei delighted in every bite of Ikuko's scrumptious cooking, every minute of familial banter between the Tsukino's, and even Usagi and Chibi-Usa's war over food. Her Princess had given her so much and probably didn't even realise it.

Solemnly Usagi handed Rei her coat as the miko put on her shoes in the genkan. Dinner was over, and it was time for Rei to go home. Yet the Tsukino house was feeling more and more like it over the Hikawa Jinja every day. It was never harder saying goodbye than now; tomorrow was Monday which meant school-different schools separating Rei and Usagi-and thus the longest time they'd go without seeing each other.

Usagi opened the front door for Rei, swinging it out. Her lips parted to speak, but they quickly closed and she lowered her head, gazing glumly at Rei under her bangs.

"Tomorrow, odango atama," Rei said, stepping out onto the front doorstep, out into the night. She turned back around to her Princess and smiled faintly. There were so many things Rei wanted to say to Usagi about how she felt; how much love for the blonde was in her chest and what it was like, what it did to her, what she'd do if she no longer had it or no longer had her; what she'd do for her, that nothing was a sacrifice if given up for her. But Rei didn't have to. She could serenade Usagi to the end of time with monuments of her love for her, and say nothing that the Moon Princess didn't already know. Usagi knew Rei's heart, and Rei-still half unbelieving that she honestly did-knew what was in Usagi's heart.

"I hate the waiting."

Rei smiled wider at the quiet confession, yet still as softly. "So do I. But I know that at the end of the waiting is you. I could wait forever, if I knew it was for you."

"Rei…" Usagi whispered breathlessly, averting her eyes. Rei saw her blush. "I still hate the waiting," the blonde admitted a few seconds later.

"Then I'll call you before school in the morning," Rei laughed.

Usagi produced a big smug smile on her face and nodded once in firm accord. "Mm!"

Rei tentatively took Usagi's left hand in her own, their fingers curling together slowly, entwining with a natural motion. With her other hand the miko cupped her lover's chin and leaned close, closing her eyes as their lips touched in a long, luxurious final kiss goodnight.

"Goodnight, my Princess," Rei whispered into Usagi's ear as they held each other a moment later, savouring one another's scent, and feel, and warmth one last time.

The Senshi of Passion pulled back a little and gently pressed her forehead to Usagi's, their breath mingling in the inches separating their lips.

"I love you," Usagi breathed.

"I love you," Rei breathed in answer.

It wasn't enough time, but it would never be enough. They had an eternity to spend together, and yet it felt too little.

Rei sighed and stepped back from Usagi, keeping her hand in the blonde's before they were forced to let go. The raven-haired girl put her suddenly cold hands in her coat's pockets and walked the footpath to the street outside the Tsukino house. At the end she looked back to see Usagi still standing in the front doorway.

"Get inside, odango atama!" she called back, grinning. Finally Usagi began to close the door, but the Fire Senshi didn't hear it click shut before she had disappeared behind the house's front garden wall.

It was dark enough for the streetlights to be on and Rei's grandfather would probably be put out by how late she'd turn up at the jinja, but it had been worth it and Grandpa would get over it. It wasn't the first time Rei had had to make this long walk home at this hour. And she'd make it again without a thought for the consequences. This life she had now; it was everything she'd ever wanted, everything she'd ever felt she'd needed. It should have been impossible. Usagi should have merely been her best friend, never kissing her, never loving her in the manner the girl did now. Usagi and Mamoru had been the 'meant to be'. Their past lives had said so, fate had said so.

But Rei had fought for it. She'd simply followed her heart, wading into countless battles, her life hanging by a thread in every one, consumed by so much pain. So much pain; her very soul battered and bruised. Yet Rei had endured nothing compared to the torture of her unrequited love for her best friend. She hadn't always been in love with Usagi, however looking back to those early days shortly after learning her life was tied to a princess from an ancient kingdom on the moon, she couldn't figure out why that was. Sometimes Rei thought it was because Usagi was a girl, and it had taken time to emotionally associate the blonde as someone she could feel for in that fashion; the miko hadn't particularly been attracted to the female form before falling for Usagi. She'd never seen herself with anybody, really; she certainly hadn't had a mind for boys, for sure. Mamoru had been the first and the last. He'd been attractive enough; a real catch on paper and Rei had liked it; had liked him-however, a long time after the fact she had realised it had been for all the wrong reasons, mainly a foolish effort to madden Usagi and perhaps get her attention.

All of Rei's struggles for Usagi's heart had been misguided, futile, and maybe even selfish. She'd challenged fate with everything she'd had, but you couldn't force someone to love you or be with you. In the end it had been Usagi's choice that had redeemed Rei when the Senshi of Passion had given up on her love and her life. With four words Usagi had shattered fate's chains once and for all, reshaping it for herself and the true love she'd found, and giving fire back to a soul.

The world around Rei and Usagi; it was theirs. This was their happily ever after. The fighting and the suffering, the heartache and the rejection; they were distant memories put aside, not worth dwelling on. These were the days beyond the conclusion of the fairy tale, when everything was just right forever and ever. For the first time in a long, long time, perhaps the first time *ever* that she could recall, Rei was content. She smiled more, she was eager to start each day, and her temper wasn't what it used to be. She felt like a different person; a renewed person. Rei was *happy*. She had finally found her peace.

Rei Hino strolled down the street under the yellow glow of the lamps overhead. She was Sailor Mars, Senshi of Fire and Passion, and her girlfriend was Usagi Tsukino, Sailor Moon, Senshi of Love and Justice, the Moon Princess and future ruler of Crystal Tokyo. They were in love. And life couldn't be more perfect.

* * *

"Cheers!" Minako banged her juice glass against the assembled mugs and solitary cocktail glass, her enthusiasm sloshing beer over Mamoru's hand and wrist from his cup. He winced and made a longsuffering face at the bubbly blonde, who winked and stuck out her tongue a margin in a childlike semblance of apology. "To the Singles Club. We're alone, but that doesn't mean we're undateable losers!"

Minako took a big guzzle of fizzy orange juice while her companions dubiously sipped their beverages.

"My girlfriend's only abroad," Motoki said. Blonde like her and quite nice looking, Motoki Futuhata worked part-time at Crown Game Centre-an arcade-although he always seemed to be there when Minako and her friends went there to goof off. He was friends with Mamoru, and they attended the same university. That association was probably why he was often tagging along, dragged into their singles fellowship. Motoki was alright though. He knew Minako's, Mamoru's, and the rest of the Guardian Senshi's true identities, and hadn't even run to a sole newspaper for profit. That was okay by Minako.

"You always say that, and I'm telling you, it's over," Minako replied, patting Motoki's shoulder in a commiserating fashion. "Reika's been gone for, what? One, two years now? Yeah, it's over."

"But we talk almost every day on the phone!" Motoki said, still clinging onto the fantasy.

"Let her go," Minako said kindly, nodding her head encouragingly. "She's probably got another boyfriend in Africa," she went on, swirlingly her finger around in the ring of condensation from her glass. "Maybe two, that cheater. Who can blame her, though? She's been alone for years."

Motoki stared wordlessly into his beer mug before turning to Mamoru beside him. "Mamoru, I need to go. I have to call her."

"Think of what you'll save on long distance," Minako casually continued, sighing as she drew hearts in the moisture, slouched with an elbow on the wooden table and her head in her hand.

"Reika's fine," Mamoru said, still mopping up spilt beer from the sleeve of his shirt with a napkin. "She loves you."

"Usagi loved you," Motoki blurted, before immediately grimacing afterwards. Oh boy, the 'U' word. She was still a tender subject for one Mamoru Chiba. He was more than a university student blessed with dark, handsome features-he was Tuxedo Kamen; the always well-dressed masked hero with a fondness for roses; and Endymion, the Prince of Earth, heir to the planet's throne. Well, the male throne anyway. *She* had the other. It must be tense in Crystal Tokyo right now-or, it would be in a thousand years time. Mamoru put on a brave face however, and was gracious about being dumped for a Sailor Senshi, one of the Princess's bodyguards. Accepting even. What else was there to do, Minako supposed. He was a better person than her; that much was for sure. If it had been Minako, she would have bawled and moped for more weeks than he had, and at least tried to make Usagi and Rei's lives as miserable as hers. Snide remarks, prank calls; you name it.

A faint, resigned smile touched the Senshi of Love's lips. Or maybe she wouldn't do those things. She knew the bitter taste of lost love too. Sometimes a person had to lose their love for another to find theirs. The heart sought what it wished; you could only fight against it for so long.

Minako's small smile broke out into wondering. Rei, of all people. And *Usagi*, of all people! It still surprised her, even now. Love was meant to be her forte, but it had taken her a while before she'd sniffed this one out, and even then she'd not been absolutely sure until prodding the pair into confession. They'd always been arguing. They were *still* arguing! Perhaps even more of a marvel was that it had worked out. Rei and Usagi were together now. A bona fide couple. The Princess had a new Prince… cess. Minako had never been one for the ladies, but love originated in different places. She'd thought that Usagi had at least been as boy hungry as she was though, and Rei had seemed semi-interested when she wasn't being frigid or fiery. Minako guessed she was really alone now. Even Makoto and Ami were in the girls' club, although she'd always suspected something between *those* two.

Mamoru froze for a second, then tossed the sodden napkin onto the table, it hitting with a wet splat. "She…. That's…" he strained, staring hard at the table. "It's different."

Even Minako was smart enough not to joke about this. His was a private pain; she could understand it. He'd get over it, maybe, but there wouldn't be a cure. Mamoru would carry it the rest of his life, secreted away in some deep place in his heart. He was a good guy and deserved better, however Rei and Usagi deserved their happiness as well. Minako had mulled over filling the hole left by the Princess now that Mamoru was suddenly on the market, but they'd never been serious thoughts. The torch he carried for Usagi might make things sticky. Minako wasn't sure he'd be able to love anyone, nevermind her, like Usagi. Besides, it would be kind of weird. She didn't think he was even her type. What would her friends think?

Gloom had descended on the table despite the jovial atmosphere around them in the rest of the bar. It eventually happened, on every evening they came out and tried to have a good time together and forget their sorrows. Minako supposed they weren't the most ideal people to hang out with. They were all far above her in age bracket for one.

"Perhaps it's time to go home," Setsuna suggested, putting down her half-finished cocktail and pushing it away, beside the empty glasses and mugs in the centre of the table. "You have school tomorrow, Minako." Setsuna Meioh, Sailor Pluto. Time's Keeper, and a beautiful woman to boot. Long dark green hair, refined features, a sophisticated personality… what's not to like? She looked terrific for her age. Yet somehow she was single like everyone else at the table. While it was true Minako wasn't one for the ladies, there was an exception to everything, wasn't there? She and Setsuna had a little… something, between them. A little touch here, a little kiss there…. It was relaxed, comfortable, nothing too serious for either of them. Setsuna was all maturity, and Minako was… less so. Maybe that was good, the girl didn't know. Opposites attract and all that-look at Rei and Usagi, or even Ami and Makoto. It still hadn't clicked like that for Minako and Setsuna though. Casual was all it was for them; nothing that would revoke their single status. The Senshi of Love wasn't sure if she wanted it to be more.

"Thanks for the reminder," Minako murmured morosely. She glanced at Setsuna, but the woman seemed distracted, looking off to the side and apparently not having noticed the blonde's sarcasm. "Whatever. Let's go then."

Minako chugged down what remained of her juice in a few hearty gulps, and snatched up an uneaten croquette from the leftover food for the road, and another to wrap up in a napkin and slip carefully into her pocket. "Well guys. You're always the life of the party," she said to Mamoru and Motoki as she stood up to leave.

Motoki managed a smile for her and Mamoru bobbed his head, but she envisioned more beer in their future after she and Setsuna departed.

Half of her croquette was gone by the time Minako had thrown down a handful of yen on the table and joined the throng outside in the narrow street lined with nightclubs, bars, and restaurants, and enough neon lights for every colour of the rainbow. Roppongi was as alive as it always was at night.

It was a short hop back to Azabu and Juuban, but Setsuna usually insisted on a taxi. Minako pushed her way through the crowds, croquette in mouth, until she got to a main road.

Setsuna's arm appeared over her head as the woman hailed a taxi. Almost on automatic pilot, Minako clambered inside the vehicle once it stopped, chewing the last of her evening meal. Setsuna sat inside too, and leaned forward to softly tell the driver the Aino address.

The nightlights flashing by the window coaxed Minako's attention as the taxi ferried the Inner and Outer Senshi back into the Azabu district. The blonde anticipated Setsuna's advances at any moment, but she never felt the hand on her thigh or the breath at her neck. She supposed it was fortunate; she didn't feel in the mood tonight. And after a discreet look at Setsuna, the Senshi of Time didn't seem up for it either. Sometimes the woman fell into these worlds of her own, gazing off, closed to the real world left around her. Minako guessed that when the complete history of the universe was yours to survey, anything in the present was rarely considered.

"Night," Minako said as she got out of the taxi and onto her familiar street.

"Goodnight," Setsuna responded.

Minako didn't look back as she walked up to her front door. She heard the taxi hum as it quietly drove off. The girl turned back then, however she'd left it too late-there wasn't anything to see in her street.

Minako used her key to enter her house and kicked off her shoes once inside, replacing them with her fuzzy yellow slippers.

"Welcome home. Did you have a good time?" her mother idly called when Minako closed the front door, all but announcing her arrival.

"Yeah!" Minako cheerily replied, before jogging up the stairs to her room. Her parents thought nothing of her late night jaunts from her time as the crime-fighting Sailor V. They had of course believed she was simply a bit of a partygoer-and the blonde had snuck out and back in without their knowledge more than a handful of times, just in case she became too prolific and put how laidback they truly were to the test. They were good parents, she supposed. Oblivious to their daughter's calling as a Sailor Senshi, and never hindering her activities.

Minako shut her bedroom door behind her. She left the light off, letting the moonlight through her window be her guide. "Artemis," she beckoned as she sat at her vanity and started taking off her earrings.

"Minako," came the cat's little voice. The Senshi of Beauty saw his white body spring onto the bed in the mirror, and a second dark feline form follow the edge of the bed, four paws padding on the floor.

"Oh, Luna's here?" Minako said, removing her bracelets and other jewellery. Artemis and Luna, apart from being talking pussycats marked with a gold crescent moon on their foreheads, had been the advisors to Queen Serenity in the Moon Kingdom, leaving their home planet of Mau to serve. On the eve of the kingdom's destruction, they had been cast to Earth in a deep sleep, only waking once the Guardian Senshi had been reborn thousands of years later to counsel the girls as they had the old Silver Millennium's monarchy. Artemis had found Minako first, grooming her as Sailor V. He'd been by her side ever since. Luna on the other hand stuck close to Usagi. Normally.

"Usagi's with Rei," Luna said, not with a little frustration.

Minako smirked. That explained why she was here. Luna still wasn't fond of the Moon Princess loving the Senshi of Fire and Passion and visa versa, despite the world not imploding like she had threatened it would. She didn't approve of Ami and Makoto's relationship either for that matter, alluding to a dangerous split of loyalties between each other and Usagi. As the Princess's head bodyguard, Minako sort of understood the latter. Ami and Makoto were as dedicated as Rei or herself however-they were a couple like Haruka and Michiru, and no one questioned that pair's allegiance. She still deemed that Luna was overreacting and needed to lighten up.

"Giving them privacy? That's sweet of you," Minako teased.

"That's not funny," Luna whined grumpily. "All Usagi does is talk my ear off about Rei!" She sighed and wrinkled her nose, whiskers twitching. "At least you still have a good head on your shoulders."

Minako swivelled around on the vanity's bench to properly face the vexed cat. "How would you feel if I said you couldn't see Artemis anymore? Or you could, but not in the way you wanted? The way you needed?"

"Wait, M-Minako…!" Artemis quailed.

"It's not the same," Luna defended. She looked somewhat bashfully at her mate. "Our… feelings… weren't fated. Usagi and Mamoru… Serenity and Endymion…. It was destiny."

Minako sighed. She remembered a time when Luna had been opposed to Usagi and Mamoru being together too. "Maybe you and Artemis *are* fated. Maybe for Usagi and Rei it *is* destiny."

"But would you gamble with the world for that?" Luna persisted, while Artemis, aghast, glanced back and forth between his blonde charge and his fellow feline. "We've strayed from what we know. I know what Setsuna said, but…."

Minako turned back to the mirror. She looked herself in her blue eyes. "Sometimes destiny isn't a good thing, Luna. Not when it forgets about you."

"Minako…" Artemis said softly.

"Oh Artemis, I forgot. I brought you a croquette," Minako said with a grin, turning once again to the cats.

"You did? Yay!" Artemis cheered, bouncing on the bed.

She pulled the slightly squashed potato treat from her pocket. "I'm sorry it's cold. You can share it with Luna, if she would like."

"It's fine!" Artemis squealed happily. It was cute that he was so easily pleased.

Minako left them with a second smile and the croquette placed on the floor, and returned to her dressing table. She wiped her lips on the back of her hand, smearing her red lipstick. She was Minako Aino, Sailor Venus, Senshi of Love and Beauty. Beauty she possessed, but she kept no love for herself.

* * *

"Uguu, what a disaster," Usagi pouted, trudging out of Juuban High School, head down and shoulders slumped. What teacher holds a test on a Monday? It was unheard of! You're still shaking off a fun weekend's intoxication, and suddenly you have to know algebra with its x's and y's and differentials? Nobody would be able to perform then! Some teachers were just sadists. They took perverse enjoyment watching their students squirm and moan, then become demoralised for the days afterwards until the second hit of a failing mark crushed their spirits once and for all. And to think, Usagi had years more of this, and then university…! It was enough to make a girl stay in bed every school morning. "Minako, how did you do?" Usagi queried, managing to lift her heavy head and direct a weary look over her shoulder.

The other blonde, brooding a couple of paces behind her, shot the Princess a dejected look that probably matched her own. "Do you have to ask?" Minako was Sailor Venus, Senshi of Love and Beauty. Usagi wondered if that meant she was destined to be kind of an airhead. She was talented where it counted however; her rightful place was as the leader of the Inner Senshi, and Usagi's bodyguard. She was an ace at that.

"Didn't either of you study?" Ami said beside them, somewhat dumbfounded. You'd think she'd already know the answer to that after being friends with Usagi and Minako for so long.

"I tried to remember to study," Usagi whined. "I mean, I *tried* to try and remember. Or… wait…." She blinked vacantly, getting confused.

"Studying is boring. And depressing," Minako sulked. "It just reminds me how much I suck."

Ami let out a lengthy sigh, but still had an indulgent smile for the blonde blockhead duo. There was no need to ask how well she had done. She was unmovable from her throne at the top of the class, no matter the subject. The soft-spoken blue-haired, blue-eyed girl was a genius, and, not surprisingly, the brains of the Sailor Senshi. Ami was Sailor Mercury, Senshi of Water and Wisdom. Perhaps that meant she was fated to be a smarty-pants. Past lives were a perplexing thing.

"Makoto, did your class have a maths test too?" Usagi asked.

Makoto, the tallest girl among them, dipped her head uncomfortably, her brunette ponytail bobbing. She was a Sailor Senshi like the rest of Usagi's friends; Sailor Jupiter, Senshi of Thunder and Courage. Makoto was one of the toughest and strongest people the Princess knew, and yet the brunette was in reality quite feminine, favouring cute things and possessing a fondness and flair for gourmet cooking. Ami was so lucky! She was doubtless never hungry, and never wanting for delicious goodies.

"You didn't escape either, huh?" Minako sympathised.

"Actually…" Makoto's gaze shifted aside guiltily.

A proud knowing smile appeared on Ami's face as she looked up at the brunette walking alongside her. The shorter girl had her arm entwined with Makoto's, and the Senshi of Thunder effortlessly carried both their school satchels under her other arm. Usagi couldn't prevent a burst of smiles whenever she first saw them in each other's company. Ami and Makoto had found each other, just like Usagi and Rei had found each other. The blonde could totally understand what they were feeling, and was happy that she and her smouldering girlfriend weren't alone in it. It was sweet seeing their friends as another couple, and to think that was what she and Rei must look like together-comfortably content, and yet at the same time exultant just to be close to the person you loved.

"I think I did… good," Makoto at last admitted.

"I've been tutoring her," Ami remarked offhand, however her small smile revealed what she truly felt.

"Tutoring?" Usagi parroted in amazement.

"Since when?" Minako subsequently chimed in.

"In our spare time," Makoto explained somewhat hesitantly. "After cram school, when Ami's not tired."

"I'm learning cooking as well," Ami added. "Mako teaches me her secrets on Sundays."

Usagi and Minako simultaneously looked at each other. They didn't care about the cooking lessons.

"You're leaving us behind!" Usagi suddenly wailed at Makoto.

"You traitor!" Minako fumed a second afterwards.

Makoto grinned awkwardly; more of a grimace really. "S-Sorry!"

"It's not something to apologise about!" Ami protested in disbelief.

Usagi sighed heavily and thought about her test. "Mama is going to be mad…" she groaned anxiously to herself. At least she could wait until she got the test back before telling her. It didn't mean an escape from death row, however. "Mama is being so annoying, too," the blonde complained in a louder voice, "she keeps getting in the way of me and Rei."

"She doesn't like Rei?" Makoto surmised, somewhat shocked.

"No, she likes her…. Everyone does. But she…! She just…! She makes it so… *embarrassing*!" Usagi struggled.

"Okaaaaaaay…?" Makoto drawled uncertainly, sharing a bewildered look with Minako.

"But she accepts you and Rei?" Ami inquired.

Usagi nodded. "Mmm."

"Then you should be grateful, Usagi," the Senshi of Wisdom continued. "Life for you would be a lot harder if she, or your father, was against how you both feel." For a moment she fidgeted, her expression troubled. "What we have…. It isn't… usual," she delicately stated.

"It's what we feel that matters," Makoto steadfastly insisted, one hand balling into a fist.

Ami's head tilted in agreement, but her eyes spoke of her doubt. In a country where marriage to a first-rate man was deemed one of the topmost life goals for a girl, divergence from it in favour of dating your female best friend wasn't generally met with apathy. Or sometimes worse, wasn't considered a serious or permanent alternative. Not everyone would get it; even the most good-natured person reeled at least a little bit in the face of what was unexpected. Even Usagi had.

Before meeting Haruka and Michiru; Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, lovers even before they had awakened as Senshi; the notion of two girls in love-*that* kind of love-hadn't ever seriously dawned on her, except when brought up as a rare joke by her classmates to be nervously laughed off and then disregarded. If Usagi was honest with herself, it had still been peculiar and rather alien to her even after seeing how the two Outer Senshi dedicated themselves to each other. She'd thought all girls wanted a knight in shining armour; every little princess searching for their grand prince to sweep them off their feet. That was what had been real to Usagi. What Haruka and Michiru had… it had been an aberration. Accepted, never looked upon with malice or disgust or as inferior to any equivalent love between two people, but also never for a moment natural. It had always stood out to Usagi. Always the oddity.

Then Rei had died. She had only stayed dead for a couple of weeks, but those days had been a waking nightmare; some of the most torturous of Usagi's life, past or present. In her best friend's absence and after her eventual return, the blonde had started to comprehend that any strong connection could exist between anybody, regardless of who that person was-regardless of their gender. She'd watched it blossom between Ami and Makoto, two of her close friends-perhaps they'd realised it too, after losing Rei-and there had been nothing odd about it. They had fit, just like she'd realised Haruka and Michiru fit. Just like Usagi and Rei would come to.

After she'd fallen in love and wholeheartedly accepted who she'd fallen in love with, Usagi had no longer seen Rei as a girl. It had gone beyond the physical, to the heart and soul inside. Even now, she could look at any other girl, the most beautiful woman in the world-overlooking her hot-blooded Senshi, of course-and feel no attraction. It wasn't Rei's femininity that enraptured the Princess; it was the purest essence of the miko; it was what made Rei, Rei. Usagi loved her for being her. And there wasn't anything more natural than love.

"I wish we had managed to keep it a secret for longer at least," Usagi said wistfully, staring off into space, her mind not really on her Mama anymore. "What does your mother think about you and Makoto, Ami?" she then asked, batting her eyes as she refocused on the present.

It was Ami's turn to become sheepish as slowly she showed a dubious smile. "I… don't know."

"What do you mean, 'you don't know?'" Minako said.

"I haven't told her yet," Ami shyly owned up, all of sudden no longer seeming quite the gifted source for wise words and sound advice. "I think she suspects, but she's never spoken of it, and… umm…."

"We're *going* to tell her…" Makoto interjected defensively, while lacking any of conviction she'd actually need to come clean to her girlfriend's parent.

"Ughhh," Usagi whined, swinging her arms back and forth huffily as she walked. "You have it so easy." Ami's mother was hardly ever home, and Makoto lived by herself. It must be a paradise!

Ami and Makoto both chuckled apprehensively, looking askance at one another. "It's… alright," the brunette remarked, then coloured faintly while her other half did likewise. So sweet together.

"Oh, there's Naru!" Usagi exclaimed, spotting her old friend heading home along an overhead walkway up ahead, before quietening as sadness settled on her. They used to be good friends; best friends, in fact. Yet nowadays she and Naru Osaka barely exchanged a handful of words, and then mostly only pleasantries when they happened to be coming or going through the school gate at the same time. Such was what Usagi had had to sacrifice being a Sailor Senshi. Her duties put a distance between her and her 'normal' friends, meanwhile naturally promoting an affinity for her fellow Senshi. She only seemed to regularly hang out with her Guardian Senshi and sometimes the Outer Senshi, leaving behind anyone not in their unique circle.

For a second Usagi was about to let Naru walk on by, however if her love for Rei had taught her anything, it was to seize opportunities when they were there. Tomorrow was not a guarantee. And it was never too late.

"I'll catch up, guys!" Usagi shouted to Ami, Makoto, and Minako as she ran off down a different footpath, following it as it wound higher and higher to the overpass.

"Naru! Naru~!" Usagi waved as she hurried to meet the girl, almost dropping her school bag.

"Usagi?" Naru said, her eyebrows drawing together in surprise.

"Na… Ru…" Usagi gasped through her pants once she was beside her old friend, stooped over with her hands on her thighs.

Unfortunately, after she had regained her breath Usagi didn't know what to say, and was reduced to walking in an extremely awkward silence beside Naru. She had imagined that everything would just fall into place if she simply made the effort to chase after the girl, but apart from obviously speaking her name the Princess was stumped. It never used to be this uncomfortable in Naru's company.

"Um… How's Umino?" Usagi mumbled, desperate for a lifeline.

"Gur- He's fine," Naru answered clumsily. Gurio Umino was a fellow classmate at Juuban High School and another old distanced friend, as well as the redhead's boyfriend. A total know-it-all nerd, Usagi used to think him pretty annoying, doubly so when he had been crushing on her. But Umino was also honest, selfless and wholly devoted to Naru, if still sort of bizarre in some ways to the Princess's eyes. "How's… Rei?"

"She's…. She's fine," Usagi lamely replied, staring at the ground. "Umm… you don't think I'm weird, do you?" she asked timidly after a moment.

"Weird?" Naru said, turning her head to the blonde.

"Mm…. You know, since…" Usagi trailed off, wondering if perhaps her old friend held it against her that she was with Rei-or more precisely, with a girl.

"Because you dumped an amazing catch like Mamoru Chiba?" Naru said.

"No, because…" Usagi risked a peek at Naru, and saw the girl's teasing smile.

Naru sighed and looked ahead dreamily. "We love who we love, Usagi. Sometimes it can't be controlled. Maybe it's not meant to be."

Looking at her, Usagi was reminded that Umino wasn't Naru's first love. Hers had died in her arms, slain for protecting her and forsaking his false queen. Nephrite had been one of the Shitennou, a guardian to Prince Endymion in the first Silver Millennium, but also a corrupt servant to the Dark Kingdom. Love had redeemed him before the end. Usagi had wondered if Naru still thought about him, but she realised now that you never forget your first love. Usagi would never forget Mamoru.

"I guess we can't chat about guys anymore," Naru remarked wistfully.

"We can still do that!" Usagi exclaimed, whirling on her friend.

Naru frowned. "But don't you like… you know, girls now?"

"I like *a* girl," Usagi said, before a faraway look washed over her features. "It's different with her. She's… special." She blinked. "But I'm not blind!"

"I don't know…" the redhead said unsurely. "She might not like that. Rei looks like the type that has a temper."

"Pffft," Usagi snorted, waving her hand. "Just because I have a girlfriend doesn't mean I can't look. Just because you and Umino are together doesn't mean you don't look, riiiiight?" the blonde said, drawling the last slyly while sidling conspiratorially closer to Naru.

"Well…" Naru began, looking away guiltily.

"See?" Usagi grinned victoriously, her friend shyly joining in a moment later. "Besides, we don't have to tell them." She winked cheekily, before her mood dipped as she recalled why she had chased Naru in the first place. She'd missed this between them. "I'm sorry I haven't been around. We should hang out again."

"We should," Naru said, nodding slightly.

The silence crept back, and Usagi felt the opportunity start slipping away. She knew if she let it go now, it would just be hollow words; they'd quickly revert back to their aloof habits-they'd never rekindle their friendship. "Then let's get together tonight," the blonde enthusiastically suggested, turning to her former best friend.

"Tonight?"

"Sure! It'll be like old times, at my house. A sleepover!" Usagi bobbed her head a couple of times, liking her idea. "I could invite Rei! You haven't really met her yet, right? And you can… umm… invite Umino, I guess…?"

"Are you serious?" Naru cried, laughing. "A pyjama party with three girls? It would be too much for him!" She glanced up at the sky for a second, appearing thoughtful. "It's a little short notice… and I'll have to ask my mother. But I can probably come. I'll call you."

"Promise?" Usagi said, not content to leave without a guarantee. She had to make sure she wasn't just getting the brush off.

"I promise, Usagi," Naru assured her.

Usagi beamed, overjoyed. "You'll like Rei, I know you will! She's so- Oh, wait!" The Princess abruptly stopped walking and looked back down the path she'd come. "I have to get back! She'll be waiting!" The girl dashed the other way down the street, before skipping around and waving to Naru. "I'll talk to you tonight, Naru~!"

Naru gave a little nod, smiling as Usagi rushed off.

* * *

Usagi was out of breath again when she finally reached her Senshi. The group had waited for her, talking amongst themselves when the blonde ran up to them, her fatigued wobbly legs almost sending her careening into Makoto's backside. "Sor… Sorry!" she gasped, hunched over and panting once more.

"This is what happens when cake replaces lunch."

Usagi looked up at the source of the dry comment, and batted her widened eyes. "Rei…. Rei!" She produced a big smile for the miko unbidden, the raven-haired girl's grey T*A Private Girls' School uniform standing out in contrast to the four Juuban High School's blue and white sailor fukus beside her. "But I didn't have any cake today!" she then cried, annoyed.

"A junk food diet's also a culprit," Rei replied, unconcerned. "You're late, Usagi."

Usagi pouted, straightening. "I told you, you don't have to meet us."

Rei shrugged, smiling crookedly and carefree. "And I told you, I want to."

The blonde's big smile made a grand return. It was Usagi and her friends' custom to go to the Hikawa Jinja after school to do their homework, however Rei always met them halfway. Rei always met *Usagi* halfway.

Usagi pressed her lips together and coyly looked up past her bangs at her Fire Senshi as she stepped closer to her, Rei closing the rest of the distance at the same time. Rei's arms slid around the curve of Usagi's waist, fitting familiarly as her hands ventured daringly low, over a different curve. The Moon Princess's arms mimicked her girlfriend's, slipping inside Rei's embrace to settle comfortably around the miko's own slim waist, their hips pressing together. Usagi took a little less liberty with her hands, however. At least for the first few moments.

They didn't have to say it. They both knew the other had missed them. All there was to do was greet each other and slake their mutual longing.

Usagi's eyes drifted closed of their own volition as she kissed her beloved, their rhythm easy, well-practiced, yet never dull or routine. Rei's mouth was always warm, her lips and tongue full of passion; almost a desperation, as if the girl had to express every shred of her feelings now or never again. Usagi was happy to indulge and match Rei's need. The Princess was aware that Rei still sometimes didn't believe what she had in front of her; that the love Usagi returned was genuine, and given wholeheartedly. Maybe Rei felt that she didn't deserve it. Maybe she'd been hurt too many times to feel that it was real this time. Usagi wasn't sure, but she'd prove her affection every day if she had to. Forever.

Usagi's eyes slipped open, the reflection of herself caught in the amethyst gaze directly in front of her. "And just when you got your breath back," Rei murmured, her lips brushing the blonde's as she spoke.

There was a polite cough, and Usagi and Rei looked towards their friends who had been watching them the whole time. Makoto's head was lowered and she was looking aside at the pavement, seeming somewhat embarrassed to watch, while Ami was simply smiling contentedly at the pair, but her gaze mainly held on Rei. Minako was smiling too, but hers was fainter, touched at the corners with what Usagi believed was melancholy, and she looked thoughtful, her glassy blue eyes seeming to stare straight through the couple.

Suddenly Minako broke out into a wry smirk as her gaze refocused on Usagi and Rei. She folded her arms, and a single blonde eyebrow arched. "Are we always going to get a show whenever you two meet up?" she ribbed good-naturedly.

"For as long as you keep enjoying it," Rei retorted, always quick with the comebacks, although Usagi picked up the slight flush in her cheeks. That might have been from the kiss, however.

Still smiling, now in mirth, Ami turned to Makoto. "I'll see you tonight," she said, before stepping close to the taller girl and tilting her head back, her hands resting lightly on Makoto's hips.

Makoto bent her head down to deliver a lingering kiss goodbye to her girlfriend, the fingers of one hand languidly running through the Water Senshi's blue bob. They looked into each other's eyes as their lips slowly separated, until Minako coughed once again, the blonde apparently being the one responsible for interrupting Usagi and Rei's earlier ardour.

Ami simply smiled some more, and gently slid her school bag from underneath Makoto's arm. She turned to her friends and gave a little wave before walking off, heading for cram school… leaving her girlfriend under three appraising, and teasing, gazes.

"Like you and Usagi are any different," Makoto grumbled as she frowned at Rei's raised eyebrows and mocking grin.

"Let's go, love birds," Minako declared in a longsuffering tone, slinging her satchel over her shoulder and onto her back before continuing along the street to the Hikawa Jinja.

"I think it's beautiful," Usagi commented matter-of-factly as the four girls walked together, Minako leading the way. But instead of making Makoto feel better, it caused the brunette to blush hard.

"Yeah… it is," Minako agreed ahead of the Princess and the other Sailor Senshi.

Usagi looked keenly at Makoto again to see if Minako's backup helped soothe the Senshi of Thunder now, however the taller girl still looked ill at ease; this time staring pensively at the Senshi of Love's back. Usagi always figured Ami would be the most bashful of the couple, yet sometimes it seemed it was more the other way around.

Usagi grinned at her friend. It was pretty cute.

About ten minutes later the girls were hiking up the many steps to the Hikawa Jinja; the Shinto shrine that Rei's grandfather presided over along with his granddaughter as a practicing miko. It was also the Senshi of Fire's home.

The cawing of a pair of ravens welcomed the Sailor Senshi, the birds-Phobos and Deimos-beating their wings briefly past Rei as they landed on the ground nearby, likely hoping for attention from their returning mistress. Rei's attention was elsewhere however, yet she tried not to show it.

Yuuichirou was sweeping the grounds with a broom, and although Usagi couldn't make out his eyes through his unkempt long brown fringe, she could tell the scruffy man was eyeing the miko. Yuuichirou lived at the Hikawa Jinja with Rei and her Grandpa, doing his best to help out… and look after Rei, the object of his affection. He didn't approach or even wave or call out a greeting-Usagi's presence probably held him at bay. He'd taken Rei's devotion to her blonde best friend badly, and still hadn't really recovered from the miko's rejection. For a while Rei had been worried he would leave the jinja, but to the raven-haired girl's obvious relief-although she'd never admit it, not even to Usagi-he had stayed despite his broken heart. Sometimes he spied on Usagi and Rei when the girls were together. The Princess didn't think it was in a perverted manner or anything like that, but Rei thought otherwise and punished him severely when caught in the act.

Looking at Yuuichirou, Usagi didn't feel any threat or competition for her Fire Senshi's love from him. She just felt a little sorry for him, and hoped he'd get over Rei and find a girl who could give him the love he was denied. Nevertheless, she clung to Rei's arm a bit tighter.

"Rei," Usagi said, tugging on the miko's sleeve, her right arm linked through and holding the other girl's left. "Teach me to be a miko," she implored once she had gotten her girlfriend's attention, recalling Ami and Makoto's mutual lessons that harnessed their skills and bolstered their shortcomings.

Rei sighed patiently and looked ahead. "You already know nearly everything. You've helped out before, and taken part in festivals."

"But…. I want to know more!" Usagi persisted, tugging on Rei's whole arm this time. "And… and I can teach you to play video games! You'll beat anybody!" She thought she noticed Makoto smirk off to her left.

"Why would I need that?" Rei said, that killjoy. "I just play with you."

"Rei~!" Usagi squealed, yanking at Rei's arm and almost pulling her over. "Teach me!"

Rei sighed once again. "If you want to learn more, then help out more when I ask you."

Usagi furrowed her brow. That wasn't what she'd really had in mind. "Maybe you can teach me how to be *mean*," the blonde said moodily, snapping her head stiffly away from her girlfriend. "You're great at that."

"Usagi…" Rei breathed at length, in that weary tone she sometimes adopted when Usagi was being difficult, but not enough to fuel her temper. Difficult in Rei's opinion, anyway. The Princess thought her request was quite reasonable. "I can teach you if you're truly interested. But I don't want you giving up halfway and wasting my time."

"I won't!" Usagi assured the miko, swiftly turning to her again. "I mean… I'll try…" she continued less certainly.

"And you have to call me Sensei," Rei went on, a smile beginning to play on her lips.

"Yes, Sensei!" Usagi beamed happily and darted close to her girlfriend, smooching her on the cheek.

A smile finally erupted on the miko's face. "This might be fun after all."

"It's good that she's taking an interest in what you do," Makoto piped up to Rei, having observed the exchange with amusement.

"Yes…" Rei replied dryly. "We'll see how long it lasts."

Usagi frowned and tugged hard on her Fire Senshi's arm again in complaint.

The girls removed their shoes and funnelled through the sliding screen into Rei's room at the jinja, before dumping their school bags around the miko's kotatsu in the middle of the floor and sitting down. Rei's room was decorated in the traditional Japanese vein, fitting with the Hikawa Jinja's period aesthetic. Interlocking tatami mats covered the floor, and shoji screens covered a lot of the walls. Instead of chairs there were flat cushions for Usagi and her friends to park themselves on, and the futon Rei-and regularly Usagi-used as a bed was rolled up in one corner of the room, out of the way. Whenever she was over Usagi was always glad her girlfriend at least had a television, seldom used as it probably was by the miko herself.

Rei lived rather Spartan, except when it came to photos of her friends… and of the Princess. They were pinned to the walls haphazardly, pictures mostly of the Inner Senshi but some of the Outer Senshi too, primarily with Setsuna and Rei alone, numbering in the dozens. However it was the framed photographs on the raven-haired girl's cabinets and small desk and bookcase that held the coveted positions in the room, and in her heart. Those pictures were of Usagi and Rei by themselves; the couple smiling, hugging, kissing, goofing around, having fun, and just being unreservedly happy; the blonde's promise to take more photos with just the two of them upheld to an almost excessive degree. Usagi had a matching set in her own bedroom, an album of her and her girlfriend's bliss plastered on her walls and dresser mirror, and framed on her nightstand.

Usagi, Rei, and their friends got comfortable around the kotatsu, each of the four sides the customary territory of a specific girl. Naturally Usagi's and Rei's lay beside one another, keeping the blonde within easy reach of the miko. Usagi got stuck on her homework a lot, although now that Ami's smarts were apparently rubbing off on Makoto, maybe the Princess should start giving the other side of the table opposite Rei consideration too. Besides, it was usually a chore getting Rei to help her with her school problems; it took plenty of pleading on the Princess's part before her Fire Senshi would yield. Not as much pleading as it used to, however. Rei tried to put on a tough front, but deep down she was actually a soft touch when it came to her girlfriend, and Usagi knew it… and sometimes took advantage. Not in a *bad* way of course…. Usagi wasn't spoilt. At least the blonde didn't think she was.

Usagi watched Rei as the raven-haired girl pulled out exercise books and her pencil case from her bag, organising them on the stout table. She was beautiful. Usagi had realised this from when she had first been treated to her looks years ago, but when she gazed at Rei now she saw the girl's beauty from a very changed perspective. True, the Princess was enamoured with the person Rei was, but that wasn't to say she didn't appreciate how *hot* her girlfriend was, in a purely visual sense for once. Indeed, her Fire Senshi's perfect dark features and flawless figure weren't wasted on Usagi. Sometimes Usagi liked just looking at Rei, whatever the miko was doing; little things, mundane things, it didn't matter; and immersing her eyes in the exquisiteness in motion, knowing that it belonged to her. The other Sailor Senshi were beautiful too, but Usagi thought her Senshi of Fire and Passion was leaps and bounds above all others, Senshi or otherwise.

"Usagi. Homework," Rei stated, opening an exercise book and taking a pen in her hand, not looking at the blonde.

Usagi's elbows slipped on the polished surface of the table, and she had to catch her head from falling from the perch of her hands as she snapped out of her daydreaming. She sighed and reluctantly dug in her school satchel for today's homework assignments, tossing the textbooks, exercise books, and notepads carelessly on the kotatsu. Usagi sighed again at the depressing sight and looked at Rei, the miko already engrossed in her own work.

"Rei~!" Usagi suddenly squealed, crawling close to the girl and hoping to steal a kiss while putting off maths equations and English language study.

But Rei had seen it coming… as everyone else at the table had too, judging by Makoto's snort of laughter and Minako's indulgent eye roll. Rei intercepted Usagi's lips with two fingers pressed together as she leaned back, out of range of the blonde's fondness.

"U-Sa-Gi," Rei's chastisement chimed, "homework."

Crestfallen, Usagi began to slink back to her spot at the kotatsu, but Rei released a little sigh and turned her two fingers to under the blonde's chin then leaned forwards instead, planting a short kiss on her girlfriend's mouth. "There," she whispered afterwards. "Now homework."

Usagi smiled in satisfaction and grabbed a pencil from her bag, ready to face the enemy. She tackled a few English conversational exercises before tiring and her mind took to wandering. "Rei, Ami is tutoring Makoto now, you know," she absently remarked, flicking her pencil into a spin on top of her index finger while staring into space.

"Maybe she can tutor you too," Rei replied, not so much as glancing up from her work.

"I'm sure she can fit you in, Usagi," Makoto pitched in, focused on her homework as well, but sneaking glances up at the blonde.

Usagi pursed her lips together crossly, recognising a gang up when she saw one. "I wouldn't want to get in the way of your special teacher and student relationship!" she declared snappily before returning to her English assignment, rather pleased with her comeback.

Time passed, though for Usagi it did at a snail's pace, each English problem or maths question seeming to bog the minutes down. She knew she had to get her homework done despite her aversion and laziness, and consequently soldiered on, producing if not exactly flawless work, then complete work at the very least.

Nearly finished, the blonde's focus took a nosedive. Her eyes shifted to Rei, the raven-haired girl's amethyst gaze somehow sensing the attention of their blue counterparts and seeking them out this time. Usagi smiled faintly at Rei, and was happy after it was returned in kind. The miko's eyebrows suddenly rose when she felt the Princess's mischievous hand tiptoe up her bare thigh and edge under her grey skirt, all underneath the kotatsu. Usagi's expression was meanwhile schooled to what she believed was detachment, unaware that it was comical detachment at best.

"Alright, I'm done," Minako abruptly announced, slamming shut her workbook. She gathered her things and stuffed them into her bag, then stood up, satchel in hand, and stretched. "And I'm out of here."

"Already?" Makoto said.

"Yeah, I've a… you know, a thing, with Setsuna," the Senshi of Love said, angling her apparently sore neck this way and that.

"A 'thing', huh?" Rei repeated huskily, managing to ignore Usagi's hand and arch an eyebrow, no doubt thinking that Setsuna was in for a late afternoon of 'fun'. Usagi had heard the rumours; that Minako and Setsuna were seeing each other 'in that way'. She'd yet to confirm it. She supposed asking Haruka or Michiru would be the best bet; the two women lived with the Guardian of Time. But if Rei believed it, then it was most likely true. Rei was pretty close with Setsuna these days all of a sudden, making a sort of odd friendship. Usagi guessed it was no more peculiar than Minako and Setsuna being together. The Outer Senshi seemed too old and grown-up for the youthful and flighty Minako. Moreover, the Senshi of Beauty was one of the most boy-crazy girls Usagi had ever known. But Usagi could have been called that once, too.

"A shoot," Minako clarified.

"Wow, that's so cool!" Usagi gushed, homework totally abandoned now, still not over the fact that stylish photos of her friend were in trendy magazines. The benefit of dating a fashion designer. No stranger to beauty, Minako had taken to it like a fish to water, although was pretty casual about her budding profession. Usagi was not-the Princess collected every publication that the Senshi of Love and Beauty appeared in; she had to show that the public supported Minako Aino!

"Well, catch you guys later," Minako farewelled, giving a wink and sailing out of Rei's room, the goodbyes of the other three girls seeing her off.

"We should really go and see her some time," Usagi sighed dreamily as she watched the girl go, imagining her friend in all kinds of cutting-edge clothes and accessories, striking poses and faces, rubbing shoulders with other models and idols. Maybe Minako got to take the clothes and jewellery she wore home? Oh, that would be *so* awesome! Setsuna was *sure* to allow it! "We might get free stuff! Or even *discovered*!"

"I've been meaning to talk to you guys," Makoto said solemnly, looking over her shoulder at the sliding door for a moment, unmoved by Usagi's excitement. Minako had forgotten to shut it. Makoto stood up and closed it, lingering with her fingers on the wood frame. "Ami and I have already discussed it." Usagi thought the brunette might be proposing a double date with her and Rei, but it was almost the opposite. "We think we should… all of us… tone down our affection around Minako."

"Tone down?" Rei said curiously.

"Why?" Usagi said, retrieving her hand from her Fire Senshi's leg.

Makoto sat back down at the kotatsu. "She's the odd one out among us. You're both together, and so are Ami and I. But she's…."

"But… her and Setsuna…" Usagi argued, a bit confused.

"Do you remember her ever talking about Setsuna? I mean, the same as I might talk about Ami or you talk about each other?" Makoto reasoned.

Usagi and Rei shared a look. That look on their faces said what they both realised.

"Damn," Rei swore softly, staring down at the table, "I should speak to Setsuna." She looked up at the Senshi of Thunder. "Wait, I didn't notice you and Ami toning down anything."

Makoto's green eyes fled Rei's in shame. "It's not as easy as we thought," she confessed.

Meanwhile Usagi hung her head, sad and concerned for her friend. Perhaps Makoto and Ami had a good idea. It must be terrible to have two successful, loving romances rubbed in your face day in, day out. How had Usagi not seen it? She didn't feel like Minako's friend very much right now.

Usagi felt Rei's hand on her thigh this time, and turned her head to her girlfriend, seeing the miko's kind and understanding face. The blonde covered Rei's hand with her own and squeezed. Makoto was right-this wouldn't be easy. Usagi was so familiar with Rei, so open with her feelings and so ready to accept the raven-haired girl's love in response that she virtually took their joint affection for granted.

"We'll make up for it in private," Rei assured the Princess with a faintly roguish half-smile.

Usagi smiled tremulously back, grateful that the typically passionate Rei was willing to rein herself in for Minako's sake. It *really* wasn't going to be easy, though. Rei wasn't alone in her heated desire. Ever since expressing her love for her Fire Senshi for the first time that night in her bed, Rei had lit a fire in Usagi, as if the blonde was competing with the miko's passion that was the girl's namesake. Usagi wondered if she had been affected by Rei's amorous enthusiasm, or if it was something that had always been waiting inside her for the right person to bring out.

Snacks foods were produced courtesy of Rei as homework hell wound down, Usagi gorging herself the most on everything the Hikawa Jinja's pantry had to offer. Studying gave her an appetite, although that didn't dissuade Rei's light-hearted fussing at her *slight* overindulgence. Makoto stuck around for a good while as she gossiped with Usagi and Rei, all three-and likely not just them-enjoying the commonplace conversations devoid of topics about youma or Sailor Senshi duties, and the chance at being normal teenagers for as long as Tokyo's peace lasted.

"I better get home and start dinner," Makoto eventually said, collecting her things. She didn't say it, but Usagi knew she cooked for two. "And I should let you guys have that privacy," she added as she got to her feet, smiling knowingly.

"Ami must leave cram school hungry, hmm?" Rei slyly replied just as meaningfully, nonchalantly leaning back on her hands where she sat. "I bet she adores you in your apron."

Makoto opened her mouth to reply, but after looking at the expectant miko for a couple of seconds, closed it ruefully. Ami was probably the only member of the Inner Senshi that didn't tease the rest about their particular relationships. She was missing out on a lot of fun.

With Makoto gone, Usagi and Rei were left alone. At last. They both relished their friends' company, but it was each other's company they lived for.

Rei smiled at Usagi in that saucy way of hers where she sat, still resting back casually on her hands, while the Princess suddenly felt her face heat a little in front of the raven-haired girl's ardour and nibbled nervously on a potato chip. Alright, so maybe she wasn't on Rei's level yet in regards to passion, still stricken by bouts of shyness now and then, but the blonde still brought her own flames to the fire, especially when suitably stoked.

But before she could, Usagi started, blinking her bright eyes. "I forgot! Rei, you're coming to my house tonight," she proclaimed out of the blue.

"Uh…" Rei stuttered, batting her eyes too at the mercurial shift in atmosphere. "I… I thought we could stay here," she said, her prior confidence vanished with the mood, "and… um… you know…." The miko glanced aside, and noticeably swallowed.

"I invited Naru to a sleepover," Usagi explained through munches on her potato chip. "I said you'd be there, so I can introduce you to her properly."

"Ahh…" Rei hummed uncertainly. "On a school night? Couldn't we have just met up at a café or something? This is pretty sudden."

"It'll be more comfortable for her there, I thought. She's used to my place. And you're not doing anything tonight, are you?" Usagi asked, already sure of the answer.

"Well, no… but-"

"Then it's fine!" Usagi declared, beaming at her Fire Senshi and devouring another potato chip.

Rei nodded reluctantly, still looking somewhat taken aback, her eyes turned to the floor.

Usagi grinned indulgently at her, and then forgot about what was left of the snacks and instead crawled over on hands and knees to her distracted girlfriend, hovering over her lap. When Rei's gaze turned back, it was the blonde's pretty face with its smoky look that filled it. "We don't have to go to my house *now*," Usagi revealed in a low, throaty voice. "Why don't we have our own pyjama party, *here*, first?"

"What if I want to leave out the pyjamas?" Rei whispered just as low and husky, staring deeply into the Princess's eyes.

"Oh, but you'll like mine…." Usagi retreated back from the raven-haired girl's lap to the kotatsu, where her bag was. Fingering through the exercise books in there, she came across what she was looking for; something definitely not for school. Usagi wiggled the magazine back and forth by its top two corners as she pulled it from her bag, grinning impishly above it at Rei. "I have a new one."

Rei's eyebrows climbed her forehead, and she licked her lips briefly. "You know I like you just the way you come."

"I know that," Usagi said gently. "But what's wrong with changing the wrapping now and then?" She winked, and she could tell she'd made her girlfriend's heart skip.

"I still don't think you should be using it like that," Rei protested anyway, albeit feebly. "If Luna ever found out, she'd have a fit."

"It's mine. I can do what I want with it," Usagi said, standing up and shrugging a bit. "And since when do you care what Luna thinks?" She flicked the magazine like a frisbee at her Senshi of Passion, it landing propped against her stomach. "Go on. Choose. Anything you want…."

Usagi grinned madly to herself after she had turned away from Rei, imagining the excitement that she had brewed in the other girl. The blonde went to the sliding door and stuck the loose rectangular piece of wood that was there in the path of the track between the frames, effectively jamming the door closed. No one would disturb them. Thankfully, Rei's room was fairly isolated on one side of the jinja, as far as possible from her Grandpa's and Yuuichirou's rooms, and the common rooms. At last, Usagi and Rei could be as vocal as they desired.

"Th-This one," Rei stammered as Usagi turned back around. She tapped her finger nervously on the page, staring at it.

Usagi began to grin broadly again, but managed to curb herself to a controlled prim, pleasant smile instead. She sauntered over to her girlfriend and plucked the magazine from her grasp, appraising the girl's choice. "Mmmm," the Princess hummed at length. "Nice." She met Rei's eyes, delighting in the open anxiousness that was returned.

Usagi put a metre or so between herself and Rei, and then dug in her skirt pocket. She grinned at Rei's choice once more, and then thrust the Disguise Pen over her head. "MOON POWER that white lingerie outfit on page twenty-six!"

Usagi felt her school uniform dissolve around her body, replaced by closefitting lace and silk that left a lot of skin bare. The transformation complete, the Princess dropped the Disguise Pen on the table and whipped out a compact, eager to see what she looked like. But if Rei's expression was anything to go by, she certainly wouldn't crack any mirrors.

"Ohhh, wow…" Usagi breathed, admiring herself in the small mirror, then broke out into a little smile. Always with the corsets and stockings with Rei. And with all that white, it was almost bridal lingerie. Usagi adjusted the garter straps and squirmed slightly, liking how her waist looked in the formfitting outfit. The evening gloves might have to go soon, though; she wanted to feel her lover's skin under her hands, after all.

Usagi snapped her compact closed and tossed it beside the Disguise Pen. She took a step towards Rei and tottered a bit; she was a couple of inches higher in the air now, white high-heels on her feet. She really shouldn't be wearing them on tatami mats, but she was sure the miko wouldn't mind.

"I've got to try that out some time," Rei said breathlessly as Usagi straddled her lap, before gently pushing the raven-haired girl onto her back.

The Princess bent over after Rei, her forearms propped either side of the girl's head, and went for her Fire Senshi's mouth, her tongue delving where it pleased. She felt Rei's hands wrap around her body, pulling Usagi closer to her own, fingers dragging over the crisscrossing silk ties running down the blonde's back. There was no hesitation in their affection, no insecure touches, and even the blushes were nowhere to be seen now. The couple were accomplished lovers, no longer the diffident, experimental virgins they once had been. Well, perhaps still experimental. Usagi loved her wonderful money-saving Disguise Pen, and had quite an imagination that she exercised regularly.

Rei moaned into her mouth, and Usagi's thrilled smile broke the kiss.

"Mm. I can think of a few outfits I wouldn't say no to seeing you wearing," Usagi said playfully, before planting tender kisses around her girlfriend's lips. She then sat up, looming over Rei while the raven-haired girl gazed up at her with painful longing burning in her amethyst orbs. "But right now I don't want you wearing *anything*," the Princess whispered, her voice dipping to intoxicatingly provocative as she undid the ribbon on Rei's uniform and worked at unbuttoning her top.

* * *

Bubbly pop music blared as Usagi and Naru talked up a storm, somehow able to understand each other in the middle of the din. Rei blew out a puff of air and idly brushed her thumb over the ends of the blonde locks held between her fingers, connected to the long tail coiled on the floor that led to a bun on the side of her girlfriend's head. Rei was glad to see her Princess getting along well with her friend, but the 'party' was starting to hurt her head with the notion of sleep becoming more and more coveted. It was edging ever closer to midnight, plus Usagi had done her best to wear Rei out several hours earlier back at the jinja-of course Rei wasn't complaining about the latter.

Rei reached up and tickled Usagi's cheek with the tuft of her hair, but besides getting her Princess to scratch the spot and then grope for the miko's bare foot, giving it a fond squeeze, the blonde didn't tear her attention or her even her eyes away from Naru.

Rei sighed again and absently tickled her own face with her girlfriend's sweet-smelling locks. Usagi and Naru hadn't commenced the night this absorbed in each other's company; the Juuban High girls had been very stiff, verging on painfully so, after the redhead had arrived, an hour or two after Rei and the Moon Princess had left the Hikawa Jinja for the Tsukino home. They had acted so formal it had even made Rei squirm in sympathy. However, once they had bonded over the latest popular music and cheesy soap opera happenings that may as well have been in another language to the Senshi of Fire, the awkwardness had melted. Not that Rei felt that much more comfortable herself; Naru was Usagi's friend, and while her Princess did attempt to include her in the alien conversations, the miko was barely better than a stranger to the redhead and was swiftly and habitually left behind in the whirlwind exchange of pop idol worship and TV star admiration. But that was why Rei was here, wasn't it? To get to know her lover's friend? She had to be patient… and stop looking at Usagi's alarm clock.

Rei smirked wryly. She could see why Usagi and Naru had been such good friends before life as a Princess had ruined that. They were quite alike. Even their taste in pyjamas were like two sisters'; Usagi wore pink flannel with different coloured frosted cupcakes spaced out all over the two piece sleepwear, while Naru wore baby blue with yellow chicks cheeping 'piyo, piyo' dotted everywhere. Their brand of cute had Rei the odd one out of the three. The raven-haired girl slept simply, a light grey tank and navy boy's shorts her nightwear of choice.

"Too much juice!" Usagi suddenly announced, standing up and hurrying out of her bedroom, presumably to the bathroom. Rei watched her go, and then turned back to catch Naru up on her feet too and switching off the stereo by the window, bestowing merciful quiet on the Fire Senshi's bullied ears.

"She always has it too loud," Naru said, smiling a little at Rei over her shoulder. She looked back at the stereo and fiddled with the buttons and dials. "So…. You and Usagi."

"Yeah…. Me and Usagi," Rei gingerly replied. She looked at the bedroom's open doorway, wondering just how much juice her girlfriend had drank. Usagi had introduced Rei to Naru at the beginning of the sleepover, but it had been as reserved as a corporate meeting, albeit a corporate meeting gushing with reserved praise for the raven-haired girl. This was the first time the virtual strangers had been without the odango atama, and it seemed Naru was a braver girl than Rei, willing to navigate the discomfort and learn more about the new person her friend loved, and had given up a steady, long lasting relationship for.

Naru pulled herself away from the stereo and sat back down at Usagi's little square coffee table, where the leftovers of the night's junk food binge lay in a chaotic jumble. "You love her?"

Rei smiled. She hoped all of the redhead's questions would be this straightforward. "Yes. I love her. My every breath is dedicated to her."

Naru seemed a fraction startled, probably unused to such blunt passion. Rei wasn't ashamed of what she felt, so why hold back? If others judged her obsessive or melodramatic why should she care? This was her life and her love; they had no part in it. That said, she *did* want Naru to like her. She was Usagi's friend, so it was important to Rei.

"She used to complain about you to me sometimes, back in Middle School," Naru revealed. She smiled, humour shaping her lips. "I didn't think this was how it would turn out."

Rei smiled too, but hers held a different emotion. "Neither did I."

"Usagi loves you. So that means you're my friend now," Naru said, nodding to herself. Then she looked the miko in the eye, serious all of a sudden. "I don't want to hear any more of Usagi's complaints."

Rei inclined her head in acknowledgement. She hoped this meant Naru would wholly renew her friendship with Usagi. She wasn't sure about the redhead's stipulation, though. Rei and Usagi were in love, but that hadn't limited the blonde's whining about her every now and then. Rei mused if she might encounter a misunderstanding but hostile Naru some day in the future, or if the redhead would see through Usagi's griping for what it was. Rei would never intentionally upset her love.

"Rei! Why didn't you say it was so late?"

"Uhh," Rei mumbled ineloquently, turning her head to Usagi, who stood shocked in the bedroom's doorway for a second before scampering over to her clock, bending over to stare wide-eyed at the hands pointing at the digits, as if they were lying.

"We should sleep!" the blonde exclaimed before Rei could fathom an appropriate defence for herself, the miko's head twisting after the animated girl.

One benefit of the sleepover that Rei had overlooked was that she got to sleep next to Usagi for the night. No futon for her; that was for Naru, who slept on the floor beside the blonde's bed, left no doubt mulling over how she felt about Rei and Usagi sleeping in the same bed together. It was a tight squeeze for two girls in a single bed, but Rei and Usagi made it work. If Rei had to be all but plastered up against her Princess's body, then what was the harm?

Usagi undid her buns where she was, lying in the dark in her bed beside Rei, running her fingers through her flaxen tresses, muttering that she should have brushed them. Rei merely smiled faintly; contentedly, and kissed her Princess just under her jaw, then resettled her head on the pillow above Usagi's left shoulder, all but nuzzling the other girl's neck.

Almost unconsciously Rei's left hand became wayward, navigating flannel for flesh, until quickly seized by Usagi's right. "Naru's here!" the blonde hissed incredulously.

"I'll stay silent if you will," Rei whispered back naughtily, grinning into the night.

"*Goodnight*, Rei," Usagi said pointedly, sliding the raven-haired girl's hand up to just under her chin.

"Goodnight, my Princess," Rei sighed with faux despondency, then yawned. Maybe it was for the best that sleep would be all she would be getting tonight.

Rei sensed something at the back of her mind, but Usagi's rhythmic heartbeat against her forearm and the blonde's slow, relaxed breathing lulled her to the brink of slumber. She'd dream tonight, about everything she'd ever wanted; everything she'd ever felt she needed. She'd dream about destiny, and about her best friend Usagi. She'd dream of her Princess and the loving look in the girl's eyes-the loving look meant for her. Rei would wake tomorrow, yet the dream would stay with her. It would always stay with her.

This was happily ever after.

* * *

"I'll bring everyone I have down on them," Chamista said, the promise of a swift and all but certain victory, and the great power in reach for the taking afterwards infusing her voice with a ferocious enthusiasm usually only heard in Khairephon's ilk.

"They don't have a care in the world…" Jadeite mumbled softly, still staring up at the window across the street that had darkened many minutes ago. Suddenly he sneered, his face nearly as inhuman as Chamista's. "No. I want them to suffer. Suffer like…!" He turned to the youma, his jaw clenched shut but trembling, and his eyes ablaze with hate. "I want them to suffer."

* * *

To be continued….

Author's ramblings:

I liked that in PGSM Minako was an idol. I thought that was a great twist on the original. I was really thankful I'd had the foresight to make Minako a model for Setsuna's fashion line in the epilogue of Absence! ^_^

Genkan = The little usually tiled vestibule at the front door where everyone's outdoor shoes are removed in Japanese homes.

Sailor Fuku = The sailor suit style uniform.

Hikawa Jinja = Hikawa shrine.

Kotatsu = a small square, low table. Sometimes has a blanket and heater attached for your legs when you sit under it.

Sensei = teacher, doctor, politician, etc. etc. Basically someone in authority.

Shoji screens = those wood and paper lattice Japanese screens.

Tatami mats = woven straw Japanese mats.

Odango atama = Dumpling head


	3. Left Behind

Past Lives - By Kirika

* * *

The second chapter.

- Kirika

* * *

Chapter 2 - Left Behind

"You-*you*-would give me orders?" Chamista spat incredulously-and dangerously-as she materialised underground, many kilometres removed from Sailor Moon's private dwelling-private no longer. The human *seemed* to have spoken the truth. Chamista had seen with her own eyes the girl, Usagi Tsukino, that he had been adamant was Sailor Moon, leader of Earth's guardians. And through the window two more-Rei Hino; Sailor Mars supposedly; and another young human female that he could not identify, but that might be a third Senshi judging by the company she kept. They were rather unimpressive; scrawny, simpering, childlike. *Weak* most of all, no different from the rest of this dimension's cattle named 'humanity'. Warriors? Hardly.

Chamista could not bring the separate identities together in her mind; Usagi Tsukino and Sailor Moon meshed as oil and water, seeming ludicrous to think them one in the same. Was it lies the human male fed her, or was it something else? A ward? A spell? The youma's mystically attuned senses had detected nothing out of the ordinary, but she had dared not probe further for fear that the girls genuinely were Sailor Senshi beneath their impossibly frail shells. He'd known where to go after all; which house on which street, and which girls. His fury for them was real. He despised them, regardless if Chamista believed them Senshi. The youma supposed she could trust in hate if nothing else. Trusting *him*, however…. "If you think you are my equal, be *rid* of that falsehood. I am your *liberator*; you best remember I can swiftly become your vanquisher should I decide your agony would amuse me."

Jadeite's head turned, his dark eyes burning over his shoulder, his features full of contempt. But he kept his tongue and shuffled away, hunched over and broken. It brought a smile to Chamista's lips. His teleporting trick was remarkable and not to mention useful-Chamista and Lord Thrinakie's other disciples; most dead as the demon, now; had discovered carving a portal from a particular site to another in this dimension via magicks was no less gruelling than joining their reality to this one; it was like tunnelling through diamond-however the cost for Jadeite's boon was it appeared to wholly sap what little strength the man had. It was wise to keep him feeble anyway for now; feeble and needy. She would never divulge his own worth to him; never let him think he was anything more than a pet, a stray she had been so generous in taking in… until he never forgot his place *beneath* her.

The human shambled into the main chamber, Chamista eyeing him from behind with a predatory twinkle in blue gaze. There was rumbling overhead, shaking everything, rocks and broken bits of tile vibrating across the floor while the seeming limitless dust in the ceiling above was freed once more, dirty clouds raining down on everyone. Then the rumbling passed, taking with it the near deafening noise, plunging the youma outpost into yawning silence but for the periodic whimpers of the stored rations.

Fires burned all around, any junk on hand-for which there was plenty-fuelling them. Without their light pitch black would roll in; as good as being blind if not blessed with night's sight. Chamista's youma were diverse; she had to cater to all. Furthermore, the mewling food was often tastier cooked.

A throng of youma heads turned after Jadeite as he passed, but the blonde man didn't return their hungry and fierce looks. They viewed him as food and a plaything like the other humans corralled in a loose and lazy circle of youma minders. Those humans were unbound, but too terrified to do much more than huddle together, trying not to see their nightmares around them, trying to deny their doom. Not Jadeite. There was no fear from him. He was almost like a Sailor Senshi himself before the youma band.

Jadeite eased himself onto a bench bolted against what had been a tiled wall but was now a cracked and stripped parody of one, slouching heavily. Chamista drifted after him, following the leash. She didn't trust to leave him out of her sight for long. Not specifically for what he might do despite his weakened state, but what the *youma* might do. She had declared him as hers, yet some youma, namely the wild types that lived for carnage, cared little for rules and restrictions if they didn't see the sense behind them themselves. Chamista wasn't demonkind. Her command of her group of refugees was tenuous, dependent on her magical might that she exercised regularly to remind the horde she belonged as their leader. She tried not to be fatal when compelled to demonstrate how rightful her role was however; there was scarce enough of her kind. One or two more trickled in every few days, but they were no invasion force. Any loss would be felt. There had to be more youma out there, hiding, perhaps even in disguise, living their human façade as though they really were part of Earth's society. Disgusting. There wasn't a worse kind of deserter than that-a traitor.

"You won't win; not as you are," Jadeite mumbled, his breathing laboured.

Chamista drew nearer, electing not to lower herself by sitting beside the human, but she loomed over him, her shadow cavorting on the ravaged wall behind him in the glow of many flickering flames. "I admit they are formidable," the youma reluctantly conceded. She clenched a fist in front of her, visualising the victory all but within it. "But if I rally everyone here, attack suddenly-Sailor Moon *alone*-and *seize* the Ginzuishou from her, before…." Chamista frowned as she realised Jadeite was chuckling.

"Even alone…." He shook his head lethargically, jaded smile on his face and his eyes glazed. Abruptly his face slackened. "I still can't feel them…" he whispered.

"Speak sense, human," Chamista snarled.

Jadeite scowled into the shadows, his hardening eyes seeing not the subterranean chamber but memories. "I knew of three before I was…. No, four. But… there were five." He didn't seem sure, and the youma questioned if his long slumber had robbed him of more than his strength. "And now there are ten, you say." He laughed again, low in the back of his throat. "Whoever the other five are, not they or the others are a match for Sailor Moon and the Ginzuishou. Neither are you and your rabble."

"And you're so certain?" Chamista challenged condescendingly, folding her arms. His manners needed work. She'd have to assist him with that.

"You aren't?" Jadeite sneered, his gaze suddenly ablaze and his lips curled, baring clenched teeth. "Look at you, cowering down here, in squalor, like *vermin*!"

Several youma within earshot perked up, growls issuing from their bestial maws as they sized up the irate human, hoisting themselves up on their haunches. Chamista considered letting their claws and fangs have the man.

"You forget how I found *you*," the mage said instead.

"And who put me there? Who put you here? It was *her*- *them*."

"The Sailor Senshi were responsible for your confinement?"

Jadeite snorted. "And more." So much hate and rage…. It was refreshing to see it so pure and potent in a human, rather than the usual afflictions of cowardice and compassion that Chamista had observed plaguing this dimension.

"Then what? Should we cower longer? You would trade one confinement for another?" Chamista snapped. "I assure you our hospitality won't last. And I don't suppose your former mistress will come searching for you, hmm?" Jadeite hadn't brought up his past though the youma wouldn't have cared to listen should he have anyway, however if he and whatever allies by his side before his captivity had been an enemy of the Sailor Senshi, they had obviously been defeated. Earth's guardians were still here and there was no sign of another power vying for this dimension's rule. Either Jadeite's allies were in hiding like the youma or he was the sole remnant of a defunct authority. Alone, without her, he was as good as dead. He had to have known it. Perhaps he already had traded one prison for another.

"You'll need more fodder for starters. You'll need an army," Jadeite said grudgingly.

"If we had more they'd be here!" Chamista retorted, her slender forked tongue darting out to taste the stale air and flicker in exasperation. The youma stormed off a few paces, and then whirled back to the human, her bracelets clinking. "I want the jewel!" she screeched, her patience-which she believed should be lauded for lasting this long with the wretch of mankind trying it at every opportunity-at an end. "I need it," she continued, her tapered nails biting into her palms as she closed her hands slowly, gathering her fists to her chest, yearning for the Ginzuishou to fill one of them. "I don't want to live the rest of my days in this… this *backwards*, *pitiful* world!" Chamista would not reject her species, resorting to masquerading as a human, living a *human* life in *human* civilisation, but nor did she wish to remain in the dark underneath the ground for hundreds of years. "Earn the freedom I have given you!"

"I supplied you names," Jadeite rumbled darkly.

"Names? *Names*?" Chamista screamed. "Those names are a means to an *end*! A mere cog for a greater machine! I want what the names will help me get! I want the *Ginzuishou*!" Pink rays of light spun around the youma's right hand, coming together to form an orb. "MAKE! IT! HAPPEN!" She hurled the orb a hair to the left of the man's head, tiles and masonry exploding over his lap as a deep smoking hole was burned into the wall at his back. It infuriated her all the more that he hadn't flinched.

Jadeite stuck an arm out and opened his hand. A clear crystal, roughly hewed, materialised over his dirty white glove. It caught the light of the campfires, the orange radiance seeming to dance inside. The crystal shard had been part of his prison. He had collected them all before he'd left the decaying pocket plane, although Chamista sensed they had little of that dimension's old magick lingering within their facets.

Jadeite snatched the crystal out of the air and got to his feet, walking over to the centre of the chamber. He scuffed a boot over the floor, knocking aside fragments of concrete and tile until dusty soil was showing. Suddenly he raised his hand over his head and thrust the crystal shard into the dirt. As he turned away, smaller crystals began to sprout around the first splinter, slowly pushing out of the earth.

"And that is?" Chamista disparagingly demanded to know, unconvinced.

"An army," Jadeite replied as he sat back down on the bench.

* * *

Rei snapped her mobile phone shut in her hand as she stared up at the skyscraper towering above her. Minako certainly seemed to be in the big leagues now. Setsuna too. All but one of the Outer Senshi had fame in some regard; in racing, music, and these days in the fashion world; however the Senshi of Love and Beauty was the first Inner Senshi to capture public acclaim… her notoriety as the crime fighting Sailor V notwithstanding. It was the first time 'Minako Aino' had become somewhat famous in any case, and for herself rather than through any power granted by the past. It was fitting that it was her. Minako was simply living up to her namesake, at last recognised for it. Setsuna had smoothed the way by sponsoring the blonde with her fashion label, but Minako could and would stand on her own merits, Rei was sure of it. Setsuna had merely nudged open the door for the Senshi of Beauty. Rei was happy for her friend.

"Setsuna says this is the place," the raven-haired girl announced, slipping her red phone into her jeans' back pocket.

Dual coos of wonder rose from Rei's companions, as they too gazed up at the inspiring building. She could at least imagine what was running through the blonde head next to her; thoughts of which celebrities had crossed the threshold that she was about to; what idols might actually be inside at this very minute; that this was where stardom was often born; and that her friend was part of this exclusive and coveted world.

Rei lightly cuffed Usagi on her dreamy head.

"Hey!" Usagi whined, rubbing the spot as though the Senshi of Fire had clobbered her with an unrestrained fist.

"Stay with me, odango atama," Rei dryly teased. "Only one floor belongs to the magazine."

"Still…. Wow," Makoto breathed. "I wish Ami was here."

"We won't forget a single detail!" Usagi vowed, her face serious and her hands fists of determination in front of her. "We'll tell her all about it!"

"Right!" Makoto agreed just as passionately, her own expression grave.

"Plus… we have these!" Usagi whipped out her mobile phone, inbuilt camera at the ready.

"Mm!" Makoto drew her own phone, flipping it open sharply as though it were some sort of weapon.

The two girls looked at each other and shared a resolute nod.

"Try not to embarrass Minako and Setsuna," Rei sighed.

Usagi and Makoto shared another look, this time sheepish, and quietly put their phones away.

Rei pushed through the glass revolving door, Usagi's short stifled wail behind her informing the miko that her girlfriend had almost met with squishy misfortune, probably narrowly escaping a sandwiching between the spinning door and the frame as she chased after the impulsive Fire Senshi. Sometimes Rei wondered if it was ever safe to take her eyes off her Princess. Then again with beauty like Usagi's, why would she ever want to.

Rei smirked wryly as she looked over her shoulder, just as her ungainly lover predictably stumbled into her back, Usagi's arms desperately wrapping around the miko's waist for balance lest she fall flat on her face. The Senshi of Passion grabbed Usagi's forearms over her stomach, securing the girl's hold. Her Princess might stumble, but she wouldn't fall while Rei was around.

"Wait for me, Rei!" Usagi complained, her cheek pressed against the raven-haired teenager's back while her bottom was stuck out in the air.

"Sorry, Princess," Rei said with an indulgent smile as her girlfriend's hands pawed their way up her body, Usagi using her to straighten herself.

"Geez…" Usagi's protesting went on. She rested her chin on Rei's left shoulder, peering around the building's lobby. It was well after five, yet there were still plenty of people about; important looking people in shirts and ties and suits, and with ID cards hanging around their necks on cords, or clipped to lapels or chest pockets. "Um… are we allowed to go inside like this?" the familiar voice a little shaky with trepidation said at Rei's ear after a couple of moments.

"It's a public building…. Uh, right?" Makoto feebly assured the blonde, coming up beside the Inner Senshi couple.

"Sure," Rei said, although she didn't really know and the ID cards everyone appeared to have but them spoke to the contrary. "Setsuna didn't tell me what floor, but it should be on the directory over there."

Rei walked further into the lobby, towards where a sheet of black marble embossed with white script was mounted on a wall. Usagi hurriedly trotted after her, clutching onto the Senshi of Fire's arm while her head swung about warily in every direction, as though expecting some authority figure to show up out of nowhere and reprimand them all, but mainly yell at her.

"It was called Candy… or Sugar… something like that," Rei said, her brow knitting as she studied the floor directory. All those magazines looked the same to her.

"*Cinnamon*," Usagi and Makoto sounded in unison.

"Right. I told you it was something like that." Of course Usagi would know. Rei was surprised Makoto had kept track too. "Okay, there it is-twelfth floor. Let's go."

The elevator doors opened to a giant rendition of Cinnamon's garish yellow logo plastered across a wall and a large, curved, intimidating desk below with a woman entrenched behind it. She had a suit on like everyone else downstairs; charcoal grey; and her black hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail, threatening to yank the roots out at the top of her forehead. If that wasn't businesslike enough, she was wearing a headset for one ear and speaking into an attached microphone at her mouth. The receptionist looked up at the three teenagers as the chiming elevator disgorged them, though her quiet, sedate conversation into the mic was unrelenting.

"Um…. We're here to see Minako!" Usagi stiffly announced, leaning forwards over the desk.

The woman simply looked at Rei's girlfriend, her lips working, but not saying anything the Moon Princess sought.

"She's our friend," Makoto stated earnestly, stepping toward the desk and resting her hand on it, leaning forwards too.

The receptionist's eyes moved to the taller girl, but they didn't linger long, nor did her constant staid inflection change one iota.

Usagi and Makoto frowned and looked at one another as they both drew back, equally as puzzled. They turned their frowns upon Cinnamon's receptionist, clearly growing frustrated with her.

"Ms. Setsuna Meioh is expecting us," Rei said, before things could get ugly.

Recognition set the woman's eyes alight, and she covered the fuzzy black microphone in front of her face with her hand. "Rei Hino, correct? She mentioned you." The receptionist pointed to an entryway to the right. "Go through there, then right, then all the way through to the door opposite, then the third door on the left in the hall. Everyone's mostly gone for the day, so I don't think you'll need visitor's passes, but if you get into problems just come back here."

The Fire Senshi nodded, committing the route to memory. "Thanks."

Rei walked off, dragging Usagi along as the off-balance blonde hurried to match her pace, still fastened to her arm and apparently disinclined to let go. With her long stride Makoto wasn't far behind the couple, quickly appearing at Rei's side. The receptionist's route took the teenagers through hallways and an office chockfull of cubicles with messy desks, a handful of people working at them. The Senshi were left unchallenged as they weaved through Cinnamon magazine's headquarters, the few employees remaining either too busy with whatever to see them, or simply choosing not to. Maybe they thought Rei, Usagi, and Makoto were models or idols? A peek at the Fire Senshi's somewhat nervous companions promptly dispensed with *that* notion. There was no shortage of model-worthy looks next to Rei-especially in her lover's case-but her Princess and even the Senshi of Thunder were obviously out of their element here, more like star-struck fans than members of the entertainment industry.

Rei opened the third and final door softly, wary of causing a disturbance on the other side. However her, Usagi's and Makoto's intrusion went unnoticed; everyone inside had their backs to the newcomers, their interest focused collectively on where the bright spotlights were pointed in the otherwise dimly lit studio. At the edge of the glare a chubby man with greasy brown hair down to his shoulders and big black square glasses gambolled, barking clipped directions and drawled encouragements between snaps of his expensive and heavy-looking camera. At the centre of the photographer's and his crew's rapt attention was a girl striking a range of dramatic poses while flashing through a cycle of serious expressions, standing on and in front of a white sheet that served as a backdrop, curving from underneath her high-heeled shoes on the floor up to the brace of ropes hanging from the ceiling. The girl was well-dressed in a chic waist-length snow white fur jacket and a daring short white leather skirt, complemented by tasteful silver jewellery, and was beautiful with her lustrous flaxen locks that seemed to swish and fall perfectly with her every movement. The girl had Rei, Usagi, and Makoto's attention as well. The girl was Minako.

"M-Minako! It's Minako!" a flustered Usagi squealed, bouncing excitedly on her heels and waggling a pointed finger at the spotlighted spectacle, as though thinking somehow Rei and Makoto had missed their friend.

"Shhh, Usagi!" Rei's hushed voice scolded, reining the girl in closer to her with a tug of the arm the odango atama held possessively.

Usagi quietened but her awed expression stuck, as did the spring in her step, the miko's girlfriend hopping up and down on the spot. Rei knew Usagi would have probably bounded off to wherever her enthusiasm might take her if it wasn't for the blonde's squeezing arms wrapped around one of the Senshi of Passion's own.

"So cool…" Makoto crooned, staring much like the Moon Princess. She at least had restraint, keeping her voice low.

"We mustn't distract her," Rei insisted, tempted to grab the Senshi of Thunder and pull her close as well, just to be safe. The brunette seemed to be enjoying herself a little too much. "We'll wait here until she's fini-"

"Guys~!"

Rei sighed as she saw that Minako's reserved expressions had broken out into a series of wide smiles instead, and the only pose she was striking now was a merry one that involved a lot of waving at her friends.

"Minako~!" Usagi called, waving back just as eagerly as her bouncing took to new heights.

"Usagi…" Rei sighed again.

The photographer sighed laboriously too, his shoulders slumping and his head drooping, deflating as his zest for the model in front of him did. "Take five, everyone," he surrendered. "Tsk, make it ten."

The crew abandoned their lights and fans and reflecting screens and wandered off while Minako trotted over to Rei, Usagi and Makoto, apparently oblivious to the distress she'd caused her portly photographer.

"Usagi! Rei! Makoto~! You came to see me!" the blonde gushed happily.

"Usagi's just here to steal clothes," Rei quipped.

"Rei~! Don't say that!" Usagi hissed, nudging the miko with her elbow while her eyes darted around at the dispersing crew. "They might think it's true!"

"Sorry. 'Borrow' clothes," Rei amended, unabashed.

"You were so great up there, Minako," Makoto praised, smiling at the Senshi of Beauty. "I think I'd be embarrassed standing under those lights doing everything you did."

"Pffft, it's easy. You're like a doll," Minako humbly dismissed. "Any idiot could do it."

"Well, I hope they know they have the *best* idiot around!" Usagi passionately cheered, pumping a fist… only to blanch and wince when she realised what she'd said.

"I'm not so sure of that, odango atama. You should introduce yourself," Rei deadpanned, before erupting into giggles with Makoto and Minako. Usagi's heart was always in the right place; her brain on the other hand….

"Awwgh~!" Usagi moaned at the laughter at her expense surrounding her, yanking on Rei's arm. "You know what I mean!"

"Minako; you're tormenting Mr. Itoh again."

The mature voice tempered the mirth, and the air of tranquillity that followed the woman now and through the ages she'd lived before mellowed the hearts of the gathered Guardian Senshi. Setsuna Meioh was the oldest of them all; of all the Sailor Senshi, and no doubt was the oldest person on Earth as well, at least in spirit; passing for a woman in her twenties. Except for the eyes-she carried the weight of the past, present and future in her timeless crimson gaze. They always held a profound sadness; they'd seen too much, knew too much… and were resigned to too much. However the sadness wasn't as yawning as it used to be. Setsuna's crimson gaze sparkled these days, though Rei often wondered if she was the only one who saw it.

Minako sniggered roguishly, yet was contrite enough for a guilty glance back at the photographer as he changed the film in his camera, still wracked with bouts of sighing. Rei guessed the flighty blonde's behaviour could be trying to more professionally dedicated individuals. Weren't all models like that, though? Rei was under the impression they were; Minako should be fitting right in. "Sorry~!" the Senshi of Love ruefully apologised to Setsuna; nevertheless it was a little too bright and breezy to be taken very seriously, nor was the woman really the right person for her to be apologising to.

"Thank you for letting us visit!" Usagi blurted, releasing Rei's arm to bow to Setsuna. Makoto joined in an instant later with her thanks and bow. But not Rei; Setsuna wouldn't abide it. There was no need for it between good friends.

The green-haired woman bowed a fraction in acknowledgment; almost merely a dip of her head. She smiled at Rei; one of her small, enigmatic smiles; then stepped closer, taking one of the girl's hands and covering it with both of her own. "You're welcome. I'm glad you could come."

Setsuna had to have known the hand in hers was a bother, but she simply kept smiling at Rei, the twinkle in her eyes for the Fire Senshi. Rei tensed but did not pull her hand away; worried she'd alert Usagi and put thoughts in her Princess's head. Setsuna wasn't as demure as she used to be, either. *That* was a mixed blessing; the Senshi of Time was partial to teasing Rei.

"Hey, Minako! Hair and makeup!" came a woman's slightly irritated shout.

Minako blinked and looked over her shoulder once again, then held up her hand in apology after turning back to her friends. "The doll needs primping. Sorry guys."

Rei took the opportunity to surreptitiously reclaim her hand from Setsuna while everyone's eyes were on Minako hurrying off, praying Usagi wouldn't see. Mercifully the Guardian of Time was willing to let go.

The hair and makeup station was setup beside the shooting backdrop, complete with mirror framed by bare light bulbs. Clothing racks on wheels were nearby as the makeshift wardrobe, as was a folding screen presumably for model Minako to change behind. It was the real deal alright; an honest to goodness magazine photoshoot. Minako took her place in front of the mirror, sitting down while the woman who had summoned the Senshi of Beauty loomed over her, apparently seeing some fault Rei couldn't in the blonde's luxurious mane and gorgeous features.

"You can join her, if you wish," Setsuna invited. "Every article of clothing here belongs to me. They're only needed for the shoot, and that's almost finished."

Usagi's blue eyes predictably lit up. "You mean we can…! We can…!" She couldn't even say it.

Rei rolled her own amethyst eyes and patted her nearly busting girlfriend on her pert behind. "I think she does, Usagi. Free stuff, up for grabs."

"Yay~!" the blonde cried, before sprinting off after Minako. "Thank you, Setsuna~!" she shouted back, whipping around briefly to flash the older Senshi a wide and overjoyed grin.

Rei put a hand on her hip and forced out a longsuffering breath, witnessing her girlfriend attack the clothing racks. Suddenly she smiled in spite of herself. Her Princess was adorable; even the blonde's embarrassing antics were secretly irresistible to her. Rei pondered if Usagi could ever truly do any wrong in her eyes, or if she had become that much of a pushover. The miko tried to steer the flaky Moon Princess in the right direction for the girl's own good and sometimes it required a stern word or hand, but if Usagi ever discovered that Rei was a softy at heart the blonde would probably walk all over her-and get away with it. Come to think of it, Rei hoped *nobody* would find out how indulgent she really was.

It took a second for Rei to realise Makoto was no longer beside her either, but beside Usagi instead, rifling through the clothes on offer with the blonde, complaining loudly that nothing was in her size. Apparently even the Senshi of Courage wasn't beneath the lure of free clothes. But it was a mild surprise-Makoto looked and often acted like a total tomboy, however the brunette's appearance and behaviour didn't dictate her whole personality or her every like and dislike. She could actually be rather girly, and it seemed was even somewhat into pop culture and fashion like a certain odango atama.

"You might want to pick out some things as well," Setsuna remarked to Rei. "For… later."

Rei shrugged. "Usagi will take everything good anyway." Her eyes widened as she realised her faux pas. "Uh, not that there's anything *not* good, I'm sure…." The clothes belonged to Setsuna's label after all, designed by her, and the woman was standing right there! The Senshi of Passion wondered if her girlfriend's propensity for verbal gaffes was rubbing off.

Setsuna just smiled knowingly, no doubt having envisaged Rei's stumble long ago at her post. She looked over to where Usagi was trying on makeup, competing for space in the mirror with Minako's makeup artist, much to the woman's displeasure and the Senshi of Love's amusement. "You could be like her," she mused. She offered.

It was by the grace of Setsuna's generosity that Minako was in the position she was; a model, her visage spread over the insides of magazines and sometimes even splashed across the covers. They were close, Setsuna and Minako; or Rei had been under that impression before yesterday's talk with Makoto. In any case Rei was close to Setsuna too; the woman could easily extend her blessing to the miko. Rei only needed to ask.

One corner of Rei's lips curled upwards slightly into a lopsided and faint wistful smile, as she watched Minako have her hair painstakingly teased so every strand was in just the right place while the makeup artist was stuck trying to shoo Usagi out of the way. It had been her dream, once. To be a model. A singer. A songwriter. An idol. An actress. They felt like someone else's dreams now, someone young and naïve. It had been before she'd been called; before she'd awakened to her life's true purpose-her duty to protect a Princess. In that Rei had discovered a new dream quite unlike the others, quite unlike anything she'd ever thought she'd wanted. With it her sense of duty as a Sailor Senshi had dulled, until it had disappeared completely. Rei protected the Moon Princess because she loved her. There was no other reason. No duty dictated her actions, no past life compelled her, no destiny bound her-*nothing*. She had aspired-hoped, prayed, longed-only to be loved in return, and that had at last been miraculously fulfilled. Protecting her Princess was no longer seen as a duty, but it remained her life's purpose. That and loving her. It consumed all of Rei's life; she wanted for nothing else.

Rei shook her head softly. It was all the answer she needed to give.

Setsuna bowed her head in acknowledgement. She knew, and better than most, her precognitive abilities notwithstanding. The Senshi of Time had seen Rei through her trials for Usagi's heart. The woman had been there when Rei had thought herself alone; she'd been a guide; a friend; a trusted confidant. She might have even been more, had Rei's heart not been wholly devoted to her Princess. Setsuna had feelings for her, somehow birthed during the Fire Senshi's struggle with Fate. They'd even kissed once; or more accurately, Setsuna had kissed Rei, back then hoping to be the balm for her pain. The kiss had not been reciprocated just as the feelings could never be, and Setsuna accepted that… though her and Rei's friendship remained a close one. The woman's affection didn't cause Rei discomfort, apart from when she was a little too playful with her, in particular while they were in front of Usagi. But deep down Rei knew her friend wouldn't jeopardise what she had with the Moon Princess; that one thing that meant everything to her, that gave her life worth. Setsuna had seen it; she *knew*; *really* knew-perhaps in the same sense Usagi herself knew. And in knowing that, Setsuna recognised Rei's love would always be for the Princess and no one else.

Setsuna's duty was the loneliest of all; eternally guarding the Gates of Time by herself; and just as the woman understood Rei, the Fire Senshi was one of the few who genuinely understood that duty and what precisely it demanded of her. Rei understood Setsuna. Rei understood loneliness. Rei understood a destiny spent alone, without love. The miko hung out with the older woman whenever time and Usagi permitted; she could not return Setsuna's affection, but she could at least placate the Outer Senshi's lonely heart a little with her presence.

That was before the rumours had started about the Guardian of Time and the Senshi of Love and Beauty. Rei had been content to back off and give Setsuna and Minako their space for the last few months. In retrospect, maybe that had been a mistake. Rei was still Setsuna's friend, and perhaps she had abandoned the woman when the Outer Senshi had needed her support more than ever.

"She needs a proper talent agency," Setsuna idly commented, her ageless gaze again on the girl who was supposed to be her lover, sitting near Rei's Princess. "A manager that can push her, take her places. Make her look beyond what I provide for her. Someone who can do more for her than I can."

"Yeah, because I see you going out of business," Rei dryly remarked, rolling her eyes. Setsuna knew the future; she could effortlessly escort Minako to super stardom if she desired. Even her label was a bit of a pun-'Timeless'. Whenever the Fire Senshi saw it she had to resist groaning. Fashion trends were circular or something weren't they? Old fashions eventually became 'in' again; the new was merely the old with a fresh advertising campaign. Rei was amazed Setsuna's label was only now taking off, having been merely unrealised ambition and a fledgling brand at best for so long. The Senshi of Time had to be well aware of past fashion fads and what future ones lay ahead.

Setsuna allowed herself a slight smile at Rei's jesting. "It's not for me to guide her." She looked at the miko. "You know this."

"Yeah…" Rei sighed. She did. Setsuna couldn't use her knowledge of the timeline for personal gain; or any gain, really. She lived in this world, and yet sadly was still outside of it. Maybe that had limited her accomplishments in the fashion world too; her designs were no doubt her own, but who was to say how many were influenced by knowledge a normal person wasn't supposed to have? Rei wondered how it made her friend feel. Like a cheat, maybe. A fraud. If the success she was having now with her creations was from entirely her own effort; from Setsuna Meioh's toil, not Sailor Pluto's mind; then the woman should be proud. Gazing at Setsuna now, Rei felt she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt just who was responsible for Timeless's success. "Couldn't you bend the rules a tiny bit?"

Setsuna looked at her patiently, in a manner that showed her age and Rei's contrary youth. And yet she shared a meaningful small smile with the Senshi of Fire and Passion, a smile the teenager returned with equal significance… and with gratitude. Setsuna did bend the rules sometimes. She had for Rei. But it looked like Minako's budding career would have to handle itself.

Setsuna walked over to stand beside Rei, turning to watch Usagi and Makoto's clowning around with her. "You wanted to talk." It was a declaration, not a question. Seldom were there surprises for Time's Keeper. Likely she had deliberately orchestrated the diversion for Usagi and Makoto, just so she and Rei would be left in peace. Rei hoped Setsuna's precognition had her realise Usagi would shamelessly take everything promised, regardless of the woman's actual intentions. All those clothes had to be expensive. Rei would probably have to lug them all back home for the odango atama too.

Rei nodded. Usagi and Makoto were here to see Minako, but Rei was here not only for the entertainment industry's prospective new sensation but for the woman who had made it possible-Setsuna. "How… How are things with Minako?" The Guardian of Time most likely knew every question before Rei voiced them, but the raven-haired girl went through the motions anyway. At any rate, it didn't render asking about Setsuna's love life any less uncomfortable.

"Fine. She got Cinnamon's cover this week," Setsuna said, the amusement playing on her lips and in her eyes. She was teasing Rei again.

"That's not what I meant," Rei said sardonically.

"She's… fun," Setsuna answered seriously this time. She gazed at the teenager in question, softness in the ruby stare. "Energetic. And witty. Like you in many ways." Rei felt the woman's finger brush the back of her hand. "But she isn't you."

Rei kept her eyes on her Princess and the two other Inner Senshi, and folded her arms. There was no point going down that road. Setsuna knew it too, but moments like these cropped up from time to time. Rei couldn't be angry; she could only feel pity. "So you two are… you know, seeing each other?"

"Hmmm…" Setsuna hummed at length, folding her arms also, though with more elegance than the Senshi of Fire had shown. "Are we?" She paused, as if considering it. "It could be said we are."

It merely confirmed what Rei had already been pretty much convinced of. An odd couple Setsuna and Minako made, but who was Rei to judge-she wasn't them. "So is it serious? I mean, have you…."

"Slept together?"

"N-No!" Rei spluttered, turning to the taller Senshi and shaking her head half in abject denial and half in disbelief that the woman would infer such a thing. "I meant have you-"

"There has been some affection," Setsuna revealed over the Senshi of Passion's stammering, smirking at her reaction. "We haven't slept together," she later added following a few seconds of introspective silence. Rei hadn't needed to know that.

Rei turned back to the makeup station, where Usagi and Makoto were picking through lipsticks and mascaras under Minako's advice, the makeup artist and hairdresser meanwhile appearing at their wits' end with the Senshi of Beauty's friends, and the Inner Senshi's leader herself. "Do you love her?" Rei's voice was quiet and steady, and she was pleased she'd had the mettle to inquire. Setsuna would have concluded by now what was on her mind anyway, if the Door of Time hadn't for her. "Does… she…?" Moreover, the woman must know the future her and Minako had together. If they had one.

"My, you like to pry," Setsuna deflected.

Rei swallowed, unsure of what to say. She *was* prying. But she just wanted Setsuna to be happy like she was. "I'm sorry," she finally settled on. "It's not my business."

"Perhaps you should try interrogating Minako?"

Rei felt her face heat some and looked away. She wasn't certain if that was a tease or an honest suggestion; either way she understood the message. Affairs of the heart were seldom simple.

"How are you and Usagi?" Setsuna asked in a kind tone, a soothing difference to her prior standoffish attitude. She was aware of every detail no doubt, but she was also aware that Rei was fond of gushing about her Princess, and that she was one of the rare few the Senshi of Passion felt at ease gushing to.

Rei began in a murmur, but by the time the photographer was yelling at his crew to get back to their positions, she was talking Setsuna's ear off about life with Usagi's love, seesawing between frivolous nitpicking about the blonde and melting over some small detail about her. It had been a while since they'd talked like this, and it dawned on Rei that she'd missed it. She could be completely open with Time's Keeper much like she could with Usagi. There was no use throwing up airs with Setsuna, or hiding anything from her-ultimately she knew what had led you to her counsel, and what awaited you after it.

A broad smile, broad for the usually reserved Outer Senshi at least, remained on Setsuna's face throughout Rei's sprawling discourse starring the Moon Princess; the woman ever patient, allowing the teenager's passionate rambling to cool of its own volition. The Senshi of Fire couldn't help herself; Usagi was her favourite topic of discussion, and thus once she got started it was hard to stop the adoration pouring out of her. In the company of anybody else other than Setsuna it would have been embarrassing.

"I see you are well," Setsuna noted, all but beaming at the contented girl. Her features slowly fell a moment later, back to the woman who existed outside the world. "I'll always be on your side."

"I know that, Setsuna," Rei replied, not really understanding but accustomed to occasional cryptic out of the blue statements from her friend. "If you ever need, um, advice about… well, whatever, you can talk to me," the Inner Senshi awkwardly invited, her shoulders squirming. About Minako, Rei meant, but she was sure Setsuna picked up on that.

"Of course. You are an expert on blondes," the Guardian of Time dryly ribbed, provoking Rei to blush outright and sigh in defeat. "Believe me, Haruka and Michiru are… 'helpful' enough."

"Ahh," Rei breathed. No wonder she was being twitchy about Minako. "You could always go straight to the authority on these things. She *is* the Senshi of Love."

Setsuna looked at Rei, their gap in ages coming out again. The Fire Senshi grinned. She couldn't just stand there and take her friend's jibes without dishing some of her own out in return. "Alright, I'll leave you alone," the girl relented. "I just…. I want you to be…."

"I know," Setsuna said softly. "…Thank you."

"Rei~! Look at all the stuff I got!" Usagi squealed as she and Makoto walked back over to their fellow Inner Senshi and Setsuna, the elated blonde lifting up the bundles of boutique bags in her hands. Makoto looked bummed and was empty handed; Rei presumed her and Minako's sizes were too far apart. In contrast Usagi could have been the Senshi of Beauty's sister. "I got some things for you too!"

Rei briefly cringed, imagining the luridly coloured and patterned clothing her girlfriend had chosen on her behalf. "Um, thanks, Usagi. Anything that doesn't fit you just have, okay?"

"Mm!" Usagi nodded keenly, before peering into her bags, her pretty face lighting up at the sights she saw.

Makoto sighed as she looked on at the blonde's haul glumly.

"Alright~! Minako-last batch!" the photographer energetically called, hefting his camera with its long, thick lens up to his face. "We want to go home today!" His voice cracked with the latter.

* * *

Darkness had crept in to claim the day by the time the Sailor Senshi left Cinnamon's offices and the building that housed them. The girls; namely Usagi; had been less of a distraction to Minako and the magazine's photography crew when shooting had resumed, much to the rotund photographer's seeming delight. He had showered the Senshi of Beauty with praise after he'd taken his final picture, her past transgressions apparently overlooked, while the blonde had accepted his flattery modestly, with frequent bows of thanks. Rei had speculated whether it wasn't the first occasion Minako had modelled for Cinnamon, or had worked with the photographer, Itoh.

The roar of a powerful engine greeted the Senshi on the street, as a posh red sports car shirked no parking rules and pulled up at the curb before them. Internally Rei groaned and tried to keep a painful grimace from her face. She recognised this particular sporty number. They all did. But Usagi recognised it more readily than most.

"Oh, Minako," Motoki emitted in surprise as he stepped out of the front passenger side door, his movements slowing while he took in the group, "more…" He ran his eyes over everyone but they stopped at Usagi, before darting to Rei, becoming bigger as he stared between the girls. "…friends?" he concluded in a choked voice.

The driver's side opened, and from it emerged the man Rei had been dreading. Mamoru looked at the group, and his once calm features registered similar surprise Motoki had, before sinking into a rigid unreadable expression upon noticing his ex-girlfriends. He seemed momentarily stricken to stone, simply standing there, hanging onto the car door.

Motoki turned around to his troubled friend, wincing as though he'd just tasted something rotten, and then turned back again to Rei and Usagi. "Ahhh…" he fumbled, searching for something to break the tension.

"Ami's… due back… soon," Makoto mumbled, her words sluggish in reaching her lips, her attention on the regrettable love triangle. She had enough presence of mind to come up with a half-truth excuse and briskly flee, however. 'Senshi of Courage' indeed.

"Mamoru…" Usagi said quietly, solemnly, guiltily; volumes spoken in the name. She was staring too. Rei felt her Princess's hand tighten on her bicep. The couple had been striving to maintain their distance from the Prince of Earth ever since giving into their mutual love all those months ago, determined to spare him any further pain they could, while always having faith they'd at least all become friends again some day soon. It looked like tonight would test that faith.

"Usa… gi," Mamoru answered, clearly in turmoil. He tore his eyes away from the blonde, his brow developing deep creases as he glowered at the ground.

Rei swallowed. Hard. Following Makoto's example suddenly didn't seem so cowardly.

"Come on, guys. It's *good* that we're all here," Minako gently mediated, glancing between the past and the present. "We're all friends. It can't go on like this forever. It's a chance to clear the air."

"Yeah," Motoki said, throwing his weight behind the Senshi of Love's ideal. "This was a long time coming. Nobody's holding any grudges, right?"

That was true; as far as Rei was aware at any rate. Usagi had recounted how her break up with Mamoru had gone in the park the day after that fateful night to Rei, and it had sounded as amicable as it could have been, all things considered. Whether bitterness had found succour in Mamoru's heart since then neither girl had heard as such, nor did it show now despite the grim picture his expression and body language presented. For her part, Rei harboured no ill will towards her old 'rival'. She supposed it was easy not to; she had been the 'victor' so to speak; she had Usagi's love to wake up to and bask in for the rest of her life while he did not. The only emotion that Rei felt for Mamoru was pity, much like what she felt for Setsuna. They were kindred spirits, she and Mamoru, both Senshi and Prince seeing in the Moon Princess certain divine qualities; a heart and soul that resonated with their own; a life that they'd gladly sacrifice their own existence for. In this life the Princess's being had bonded stronger with Rei's than Mamoru's. It was sad for him and the Senshi of Fire was sympathetic, understanding well how bleak the loss felt-he was accepting it with more poise than she had.

"We should go out together, tonight," Minako went on. "There's this *great* club, Muse, that-"

"Wait, go to a club? Tonight?" Rei interrupted. Clubbing, on a school night? And with….

The raven-haired teenager stole a glance at Mamoru, witnessing mirrored reluctance on his face. Usagi's fingers were practically burrowing into Rei's flesh now-her Princess obviously wasn't in a dancing mood either.

"Sure, we do it all the time!" Minako assured Rei, and everyone else for that matter, judging by the looks the Senshi of Beauty was getting. "Me, Setsuna, Mamoru, and this guy. Nearly every night." All of a sudden why Minako's academic woes were what they were was clearer to Rei, as was the mystery of Mamoru and Motoki rolling up unexpectedly at Cinnamon magazine's headquarters-it hadn't been unexpected at all for those in the know. The miko wondered when Minako's get togethers had first been established, but she had a feeling she knew roughly when.

"'This guy'?" Motoki mumbled to himself.

"We're really not dressed for it, Minako…" Rei said unsurely, going for any justification to bail out on her plan. She and Usagi were in street clothes-however it was a stretch to label them nightclub material. It was okay for the Senshi of Beauty; she still had on her hip outfit from her shoot, carrying her abandoned Juuban High School uniform in her schoolbag, sleeves and ribbons poking out of the stuffed leather. "And there's school to think about…."

"Pfft, school," Minako brushed off as though it was the most ridiculous thing ever to bring up-the reasons for her poor grades were becoming clearer all the time. "Plus you look alright. But if you want to change, you have a wardrobe with you!" She grinned and gestured at the boutique bags in Rei and Usagi's hands, the girls sharing the burden of Setsuna's kindness between them.

"None of this might even fit me." While Usagi and Minako could be mistaken as sisters, Rei was a distant cousin at best; slightly taller, slightly more muscular; slight differences, but together enough to possibly make a substantial difference in clothing sizes. "Besides, where are we supposed to change?"

"Change in the car!" Minako grinned brightly, as if she really believed the idea had merit.

"We're not changing in the car!" Rei cried, her friend's cheesy smile suddenly highly irritating. "Anyone might see, not to mention it's cramped, and-"

"I could just use my Disguise Pen," Usagi suggested, cutting into the Fire Senshi's burgeoning rant. Rei favoured her with a look that had her know she wasn't helping.

"See? Stop being prissy. That's fine for her, and you can change in a toilet stall at the club if you want to do it that way," Minako said, literally waving away Rei's concerns and sensibilities while fanning the raven-haired girl's temper.

"We don't usually go clubbing, Minako…" Motoki murmured uncertainly, at last another voice of reason to combat the festive Senshi of Love and Beauty.

"School is important." It was a moment before Rei deduced it was Mamoru's voice she'd heard, so hushed and morose it had been. "Even for idols."

"I'm a model, not an idol. Get it right, silly," Minako retorted. "Plus I'm sick of sitting in bars. We're having *fun* tonight, you hear me?"

It fell quiet as more hesitant looks were passed between Rei, Usagi, Motoki and Mamoru. Gods, it felt too soon. Rei couldn't even fathom two words to say to Mamoru right this minute, let alone enough to last a night of 'fun'. Yet it had to be even worse for Usagi. The Senshi of Fire wasn't sure whether to save her Princess from the potential pain and awkwardness at all costs no matter what Minako came up with, or if she would be doing Usagi a disservice by allowing things to continue to stagnate between her and the Prince of Earth. Rei too would like to be on good terms with Mamoru, but it wasn't as though their relationship had been anything approaching what had existed between him and Usagi. Besides dating for a while, Rei had never enjoyed a particular closeness to Mamoru. That said, they'd never been *this* distant. It could only widen as time went on.

"I think I'll sit this one out," Setsuna said, silent and observing up until now, and apparently invulnerable to Minako's browbeating. "It's not really my cup of tea."

Rei glared hotly at the woman. Frenetic dancing in a probably dark and sweaty room with dozens of other people wasn't her kind of scene either, but if she and Usagi were being roped into joining Mamoru with all their mutual baggage at some club, Setsuna was also going with Minako and whatever issues they had. Rei had noted Time's Keeper and the Senshi of Love didn't stand next to each other, nor had they walked together on the way down from Cinnamon to the street-they hadn't exhibited even a modicum of warmth towards one another past the normal bounds of friendship. If they really were an item, Rei couldn't comprehend how they could be so aloof. Whenever the Senshi of Passion was around Usagi she felt a *need* to be near her; near enough to touch her, feel the softness of her skin, her warmth; near enough to breathe in her unique scent. Simply holding Usagi's hand, or encircling her waist, or their arms entwined as they were now; it was a closeness Rei couldn't imagine giving up, not for anyone or anything. That was what love was to Rei.

Was she being naïve? Was it something to do with Setsuna and Minako's personalities? Setsuna *maybe*… but Minako always seemed the touchy-feely type. Was it because they weren't alone and in public? Rei could sort of grasp the reluctance found there… yet… she didn't believe it should have any bearing for those in love. Rei couldn't care less what people thought when they saw her and her Princess together-it wasn't *their* relationship, after all-and she trusted Usagi had a likewise stance. Maybe she *was* being naïve. The Senshi of Passion was no expert on the complexities of relationships; she merely had what she saw of her friends' romantic liaisons to go on-and her own romance with Usagi, naturally. Perhaps she should give Setsuna and Minako the benefit of the doubt… and help them along where and when she was able.

Her eyes stayed burning jewels, but Rei summoned a sickeningly sweet smile to her face. Setsuna regarded her evenly in return, but being who she was she had to suspect the Fire Senshi's motives. It wouldn't change a thing, however-the woman would accept her assistance whether she liked it or not… tonight, at least. "You should go. It might be… fun." Rei had to force the words out, her tone twisted into a somewhat more aggressive one than she preferred.

The raven-haired girl bumped her blonde counterpart with her hips, soliciting backup. "M-Mm!" Usagi awkwardly stuttered. Well, it was better than nothing.

"My clothes aren't suitable," Setsuna said, showing Rei a rather smug smile, "and I have neither Disguise Pen nor spare outfits on hand." She wore a tasteful black suit with a skirt, part of her own label Rei believed; classic elegance was a common theme with Timeless, at least for its adult range. Regardless, it was true that it wasn't dance club attire.

"We'll *buy* you a dress on the way if we have to," Rei growled levelly through her teeth in a meagre pretence of patience. The Senshi of Time looked far too amused.

"There's not room for every one of us in Mamoru's car," Setsuna persisted. Tossing the woman in the boot to make the space came to mind.

"I'm positive there's a lap Rei will find comfy," Minako answered for the Fire Senshi before she opened the back passenger door of the Prince's sports car and swung herself inside, apparently having had her fill of dissenters and going ahead whatever was said. Mamoru and Motoki climbed back inside as well, as though they were little more than the blonde's escorts.

Setsuna sighed a bit but moved to accede to Minako's wishes, joining the girl in the backseat. The woman must've known the final outcome; she just had a perverse delight in seeing Rei leap through the hoops she held up.

Usagi loosed herself from the miko to sit next to the Outer Senshi, but was brought to a halt by Rei's hand suddenly snatching her wrist before she could take more than a step towards the vehicle. There were plenty of reasons Rei had to give into Minako, and plenty she had not to, but the only reason of importance could go either way and was dependent on Usagi. Setsuna, Mamoru, Minako-Rei cared about them, but their needs were secondary. Her Princess merely had to voice her unwillingness and the Senshi of Fire would forsake anyone and everyone.

Rei looked into Usagi's eyes, asking the question to the blue orbs with her amethyst pair, the fire in the raven-haired girl's gaze cooled in the opposing calming shade. At a word the Senshi of Fire and Passion would whisk her Princess away, however rude it might be. Their friends could just blame Rei.

"It's for Minako and Setsuna, right?" Usagi said, nodding hesitantly, as though seeking Rei's assurance. Friendship came first for Usagi, well before her own desires, however they both knew whose friendship was really on her mind. Too often the blonde's eyes shifted to the familiar car's windshield-at the downcast owner behind it.

Rei smiled at her love; at Usagi's selfless maturity, at the Princess beneath the façade of an ordinary girl; and inclined her head in accord. She let go of Usagi's wrist.

* * *

Rei tugged at the hem of her little black dress one last desperate time, hoping that somehow if she pulled on it enough the material would stretch to cover more of her thighs. She sighed and looked down at herself, her efforts futile. 'Little' black dress indeed. Any tighter and it would have been sprayed onto her body. She didn't remember her chest being this big. Rei supposed she should be relieved she could at least breathe.

The raven-haired teenager thought about rummaging through the boutique bag for something that fitted her a bit better while retaining a nightclub aesthetic, but she was taking her sweet time as it was and Usagi was waiting for her. It was probably futile anyway-the clothes inside the bag were fitted to Minako's body; unless it was baggy by design all the outfits would be snug on Rei's frame. The club the Senshi of Beauty had dragged everyone to was pretty dark, wild coloured flashing lights notwithstanding-with luck no one would know to ogle her rather audacious appearance.

Rei checked her makeup in her compact's mirror, the heavy mascara, dusky eyeshadow, a touch of blush, and dark red lipstick all borrowed from Minako's ample supply the blonde carried everywhere. The clothes were one half of the necessary image change; the makeup was the other. If the Senshi of Passion was going clubbing, she was going the whole way. While she wasn't vain, neither was she the type to neglect her looks. Image wasn't everything, but pride in oneself was important nonetheless.

Rei's fingers harried her bangs as she stared into the mirror, angling it and her head in this direction and that direction, ensuring her hair was just right too before snapping the compact closed and putting it away.

She took another breath to steel herself, and then snatched up the paper boutique bag from on top of the toilet seat; her discarded street clothing crammed beside the remaining designer garments within; and unlocked and opened the stall door. Usagi and her quiet appraisal awaited Rei on the other side, as well as several girls impatiently queued up to be next to use the stall. One such girl insolently pushed past Rei to take the Fire Senshi's place inside, all but slamming the door into her back. Rei guessed she had to go bad.

Unlike everybody else in the restroom Usagi waited patiently, her hands folded together in front of her, a vision of beauty that the other girls in the vicinity had no hope of ever nearing, let alone matching. Her Disguise Pen and a random club-going passer-by in the Roppongi streets outside Muse had dressed the blonde, even so far as to do her makeup. If not for how gorgeous she inherently was, Usagi would have blended in perfectly with the clubbing crowd. Sparkly top, short skirt, torn fishnet stockings, giant platform boots-underneath she was still Usagi, sweet and lovable, and Rei's Princess.

Rei raised an eyebrow and planted a hand on her hip as Usagi continued to simply stare, and nowhere near her face. "Eyes here, odango atama," the Fire Senshi said wryly, two splayed fingers pointing to eyelevel.

Usagi batted her eyes while her cheeks suffered a slightly crimson hue, but she managed to pull her gaze away from her girlfriend's chest, though often paid bashful repeat visits. Rei didn't really mind.

"You look…."

"I know," Rei said, forestalling any further mention of her appearance. She looked… well not like a nice girl, to put it mildly. Usagi seemed to take some delight from it though. The Senshi of Passion would have preferred if she had been exciting her lover in private however, and not anybody else who happened to look too closely.

Usagi frowned. "Except your shoes aren't really…."

"It'll be dark." Unfortunately Setsuna's label hadn't branched out into footwear yet, and Rei's shoes weren't exactly haute couture being part of her street ensemble, but no one on the dance floor should notice. A least they were comfortable.

Rei grinned seductively and sashayed closer to Usagi, dropping the boutique bag at their feet while her hands slid from the side of her girlfriend's thighs to over the blonde's hips and into the depression of her waist. The other girls in the restroom were likely watching, but Rei didn't see them-she only saw her Princess. "Ready to dance the night away?" the Senshi of Passion asked huskily, pulling Usagi's hips to hers and nuzzling her cheek to the blonde's, enchanted by the softness against her skin.

"Only if it's with you," Usagi answered in a whisper at Rei's ear, stirring another broad smile to take over the raven-haired teenager's lips.

Rei slipped her arm around her Princess's waist and stooped to retrieve the bag full of clothes, before guiding Usagi to the restroom's exit. Usagi's arm found a natural fit at the small of Rei's back, encircling the miko's slim waist also, and the couple walked out together into the incessant beat of music, gloom split by beams of multicoloured lights, and swell of people talking, dancing, drinking and enjoying each other's company in a fashion that wasn't proper to stare at.

Rei drew Usagi even closer to her as they nudged and weaved through Muse's claustrophobic crowds, sidestepping fellow high schoolers with apparently no regard to an eight thirty a.m. start and older yet probably no more responsible club-goers in their twenties and maybe even thirties, all dressed extravagantly and here to lose themselves in revelry. It was definitely not Rei's scene, nor did she think it was Usagi's, the way the girl clung to her. Minako better be having the time of her life.

"Rei? Rei? Rei Hino!"

Rei instinctively turned her head towards the sound of her name being hollered above the club's din, and internally cursed when she realised her mistake. Three girls her age broke from the partying throng and hurriedly approached her, assembling in her and Usagi's path, obliging the couple to stop.

"It *is* you!"

Rei knew these girls-not personally, but rather she vaguely recognised them. Besides, they seemed to know her well enough, and that was a dead giveaway. They were from her school, T*A Private Girls' School, a somewhat prestigious Catholic academy that her father forced her to attend in some lame pretence of parenting, no doubt having called on his political clout to pull the essential strings within the faculty-she was a practicing miko after all, though she found value in both the Eastern and Western religions. Rei had grown accustomed to the school in any case, with any resentment directed at her father for putting her there long dissipated. Still, not being a student of Juuban High School like her friends and most of all like Usagi did sometimes bug her. The thought of sitting in the same class as her Princess, spending lunchtimes with her; spending every school day with her; was a pleasant fantasy.

The three T*A girls stared at Rei, their jaws dropped and their eyes big, a collective coo of what the Fire Senshi presumed was astonishment emanating from their gaping mouths. Rei tried to put a name to the faces-the one with the braids was… Hitomi wasn't it?-however friends or an interest in gaining some wasn't something she had at T*A Private Girls' School. Obviously they were here for the same reason Rei grudgingly was; they were dressed to match the scene around them-gaudily and provocatively, likely dancing up a storm before spotting the Fire Senshi. Was the school night sacred to no one? Rei was not exactly one to talk of course, being here too however unenthusiastic she felt about it. School was a high priority for her after missing-okay, blowing off-week after week of classes a few months back. She hadn't realised how much she'd ditched before her normally easygoing Grandpa had yelled at her. Rei's grades were in a slump, but she was trying hard to be the diligent student, mainly to please her grandfather. If he knew she was out 'partying' in a Roppongi nightclub right now everything she'd done to get back into his good graces would probably be forfeit.

"I didn't know you came here too!" one of the girls gushed, her gaze still all stars for the uncomfortable miko.

"Wow, this is great!" another squealed, wiggling eagerly on the spot.

"And you look…!" the third gasped, her eyes becoming even bigger if that was possible. Rei could practically feel her stare on her skin, ravishing her body.

"Rei…?" Usagi said uncertainly, sounding put off by the trio of fangirls. Rei wasn't anywhere near a social butterfly at her school or some academic prodigy or sports star, mostly keeping to herself and doing what was required of her by the teachers, yet somehow she commanded the respect and admiration of lower, upper, and fellow classmates alike. She had learned to ignore it as it was more or less harmless, and on Valentine's Day the benefits *really* showed, but sometimes it was annoying. Like now.

"Who's this?" Hitomi-at least who Rei believed was Hitomi-asked, looking at the blonde.

"Uh…" Rei hesitated. "She's…." For a moment the Senshi of Passion was going to mask who Usagi was to her; what the girl meant to her; but the impulse was quickly recognised as a foolish and shameful one-a disservice to her Princess. Rei was proud to have Usagi's love. Rei had nothing to hide. "She's my girlfriend; Usagi." She turned her head to the slightly nonplussed blonde. "These girls go to my school," she explained.

"Girlfriend…?" the trio meanwhile mouthed, frowning at Rei and Usagi with intensified interest, taking in the pair's body language, the way their arms were around each other, the look in their eyes they had for each other. They *had* to see it. "You mean *girlfriend*, girlfriend?" one of them finally posed.

Rei curtly nodded.

Massive squealing erupted, attracting bewildered and often frightened looks from nearby club patrons, while Rei's schoolmates jumped up and down, clutching one another's arms. Rei could just imagine what school was going to be like tomorrow; the news would travel like wildfire-it would be all over the academy before she arrived in the morning, she just knew it. It would either inspire anyone who had a crush on her to recklessly confess, or dampen that sort of behaviour once and for all as Rei's admirers despaired at having missed their chance. Rei prayed for the latter; her shoe locker could only hold so many letters and opening it to a torrent of sweet-smelling paper was already a pain.

"She doesn't go to our school, does she?" one girl managed to ask through her excitement, she and her friends regarding Usagi akin to an object or oddity rather than a flesh and blood person standing right there with them. The blonde seemed unsure what to do bar hold onto Rei and bite her tongue, which was probably the right course of action all things considered.

"No, Juuban High," Rei said. For some reason that encouraged more squealing. She sighed. "Okay, we're going now. See you."

Rei hastily ushered Usagi away from her schoolmates before they could latch onto them and never let go, chased by calls of "she's so cool~!" and "Usagi is so pretty~!". Rei agreed with the latter declarations, but it was all still embarrassing and she did her best to distance herself and her Princess from the boisterous fangirls in the shortest time possible.

"I didn't know you were so popular at your school, Rei," Usagi remarked in surprise once they were well rid of the girls. "Were they your friends?"

"No," Rei said, shaking her head. "Don't worry, the girls at my school mean nothing to me."

"I wasn't worried until you said that!" Usagi exclaimed. "Do you have admirers?"

"One or two." It was better that she didn't know the truth.

Usagi looked at Rei like she didn't quite believe it though. "I hope you let them down gently."

Rei flashed her lover a wink and a lopsided smile. "Of course."

The couple pushed through the last of the crush in front of the booth the Sailor Senshi and their male companions had staked out for themselves, at first glad to be in a slightly more open space, but then apprehensive as they were reminded of the complex circumstances that awaited them in the form of the dark haired man sitting at the outer edge of the booth's plush but well-worn red seats with Motoki. Usagi hadn't the stomach to face Mamoru without Rei nearby; 'helping' the Fire Senshi to dress had been a convenient way to delay the inevitable close quarter company. Rei would never have thought to abandon her girlfriend like that anyway; Usagi would find herself alone with Mamoru only if she chose to be.

Rei noticed Mamoru and Motoki's eyes shy away from her while she shot a heated look at Setsuna where the Outer Senshi sat in the middle of the booth, blaming the Guardian of Time for her clothing situation. The woman had designed the ill-fitting black dress after all!

Unrepentant as usual, a self-satisfied smile was all Setsuna offered the Fire Senshi. The green-haired woman had stayed in her suit despite her objection that her clothing wasn't right and Rei's threat to buy her something. It wasn't too out of place actually; Rei had seen more than a few young office ladies and salarymen similarly clad about.

Rei dumped the boutique bag she had been carrying on the booth's semi-circular seat; the other bags in Mamoru's car; and Minako's makeup on the round chrome table at its centre. But for her fur jacket left behind the Senshi of Love and Beauty was nowhere around, no doubt buried in the crowd on one of the many dance floors. It was disheartening that Setsuna wasn't out there with her, or that Minako hadn't forgone dancing in favour of keeping the Senshi of Time from getting bored or lonely. It was too much to expect from either of them, Rei supposed. Their personalities, likes and dislikes, were poles apart.

"We should dance," Usagi said quickly, her gaze sticking to her ex-boyfriend for an instant before it was turned to her girlfriend. "It's a dance club, isn't it? Come on, Rei!"

Before Rei could have any say Usagi was dragging her into the heaving mob of people. The Senshi of Fire relented and let herself be led. If her Princess didn't want to deal with Mamoru just yet, then it was okay. The night was young, and they had until Minako ran out of energy or lost interest in the nightlife.

They discovered the missing blonde not far from the booth, dancing wild as anticipated. Girls and guys gyrated alongside her, affected by her exuberant spirit and boundless vigour. Minako grinned at Rei and Usagi when she saw them, beckoning the girls to join her while maintaining her rhythm. The Senshi of Beauty was a great dancer, her entire body an avatar for the music. Rei on the other hand was pretty uncoordinated amid the feverish beats, and Usagi wasn't exactly grace on two legs either. But who she was dancing with had the raven-haired teenager forget her lack of ability, the shared fun with the one she loved all that mattered. Joyful smiles and laughs, frequent hands on hips and fingers through one another's hair defined Rei and Usagi's dance floor romp, the memory of promising to curb their affection around Minako wiped away. Perhaps this was Rei's scene after all.

Through the flailing limbs and twisting bodies surrounding her, Rei caught glimpses of the booth and her sedentary friends. Setsuna looked content to lounge there nursing a drink, though judging by her hollow crimson stare was she was as distant from club Muse as she could be without actually leaving. Mamoru and Motoki loitered with her; however neither could ever pass as wallflowers, with the men constantly obliged to shoo away the lavish attentions of forward girls, although they never ran out of courtesy in their refusals. Rei understood that Motoki had someone, but Mamoru…. Perhaps it was too soon for him to be considering other girls.

Even Sailor Senshi stamina needed to recharge at some point, and after who knew how many songs it was a mussed Rei, Usagi and Minako that tottered away from the dance floor and back to the booth for a breather.

"This is really fun!" Usagi gushed, her blue eyes dazed but her mouth all smiles, sounding flabbergasted that it was so.

"Told you," Minako chirped, throwing herself into the booth and flopping over onto her back. "Rei, go get some drinks," she called tiredly. "Anything cold and fizzy."

Rei pushed her bangs back from her forehead and combed her fingers through her hair, surprised she wasn't drenched with perspiration. She wouldn't say no to a drink though, and Usagi might want one also. "Minako, why can't you go?" Nevertheless, dancing for however long it had been hadn't stripped the Fire Senshi of her senses; she wouldn't leave her Princess's side. Hopefully her friends merely chalked it up to her usual stubbornness and propensity for self-reliance.

"Rei~!" Minako whined hoarsely, followed by unintelligible hacking noises as though she were on the brink of dying of thirst that second.

Rei made a face and looked at Usagi, the vexed expression quickly supplanted by quiet concern. The blonde's smiles were gone, her lips thin and tight together, but she nodded firmly to the Senshi of Fire. Usagi was ready to face him.

"*Rei*~!"

"Alright, alright!" Rei moaned, rolling her eyes. She glanced again at her girlfriend, biting her lower lip briefly in uncertainty, before turning to walk away and locate the bar.

"Rei!"

Rei immediately spun around at Usagi's call, anxious and expecting the girl to ask she stay or to wait so they could go together after all.

"Lemonade for me," Usagi said.

Rei released the breath she had been holding and sauntered up to the exasperating blonde, the look in her eyes very dry. But the raven-haired teenager's lips were hot and generous when they kissed Usagi, reassuring her Princess of her love, and that she'd never be alone. "I'll be fast," Rei whispered, her hands that cupped Usagi's cheeks stroking along the girl's jaw line as she stepped back, her fingertips the last to leave.

Rei made a beeline for the bar, or at least where she thought she recalled seeing the bar. The flashing lights, cavorting people bumping into her, and thumping music from every side came together to serve disorientation in spades. The horrible thought of running into her classmates again dogged her every step as well, every high school girl's face she saw giving her a start as she initially imagined it was one of theirs. But it was Usagi that reigned in the Senshi of Fire's mind, speeding her stride. Although it might actually be beneficial to delay a little and give her Princess and the blonde's ex-boyfriend more time without her to… talk things out or whatever, that was definitely one area of Usagi's life Rei couldn't be strict with. Rei loved her too much to wholly desert her like that, no matter how much good it might do in the long run. Rei could only be so hard on Usagi.

Within her thoughts of Usagi and of her troublesome classmates, something else tickled. Preternatural senses tuned to the otherworldly hummed, awakening the miko inside of Rei, and the Sailor Senshi after it. Abruptly she halted, her head whipping about for some verification, some obvious disturbance. It was small, barely there… but Rei knew the sensation well-and her perception never lied. There was something here; something not of this world-a spirit, a demon, a youma… *something*, and the kind of something that was seldom benevolent.

Rei skimmed her eyes over the crowd, hoping to catch a hint of anything unseemly, but there were dozens of people; dozens of masks for evil to wear. Still she searched, yet she could barely feel it anymore. It had to be moving away, or fading back to wherever it had come from. Rei's gaze shifted to the outer walls, the exits, to the places far from her, battling for a clear line of sight through the club-goers.

There! She thought she saw a man and a woman disappear through a fire exit, the woman leaning heavily against the man. It was pretty weak, but it was the only thing she had to go on or otherwise ignore what she'd perceived-and Rei wasn't the type to shun responsibility. She had to be sure, or it would nag her all night.

Rei barged through the partying hordes, jostling girls and guys this way and that in her uncompromising path towards the fire exit. People cursed, people shouted, however the Senshi of Fire hadn't a care for their inconvenience. The fire door was the last victim of Rei's shoulder, bashed open and sending her stumbling a couple steps into a snug alley home to trashcans and garbage bags, obscure bars, and out-of-the-way eateries.

Unconsciously Rei's hand lashed out to catch the fire door from closing behind her in case it happened to be the locking kind, but her attention was on the tight street laid out in front of her. Muse's frantic melodies pounded against her back and streamed out into the night around her, but she could tell it was foreign unrest to this nook of Roppongi; bar and restaurant signs buzzed, lit with neon lures, but there were no moths to attract except for Rei. The unearthly sensation was gone, as was any sign of the man and woman.

The music at her rear shifted to calmer scores as Rei pressed as deep into the alley as she could without releasing the fire door, her outstretched arm and fingertips keeping her from the hassle of queuing up again at the club's front façade just to get back inside. As the miko was debating whether she was willing to investigate more thoroughly despite the cost, she heard clumsy footsteps scrape the ground and saw a man eventually wander into view from the other side of a pile of bursting rubbish bags and a bar's flickering signboard. By his less than professional suit he was another night reveller, and by his staggered and unsteady gait he had revelled for some time now.

When the man spotted Rei standing there he grinned at her… kind of; the girl considered it more a leer. The Fire Senshi sighed as he began wobbling towards her, the sleazy smirk plastered to his flush face.

"Did you see a man and a woman go by here?" Rei asked on a whim, though she knew it was probably a wasted effort.

"Only you, baby," the intoxicated man slurred, close enough now to gas the raven-haired girl with his breath.

Rei shot him a withering look and retreated back into the club, slamming the fire door shut on the sight of the idiot. She hadn't picked up any vibes from him besides the regrettably everyday perverted ones; he wasn't *strictly* evil, at least not in the supernatural sense. Whatever it was that Rei had first felt, it had vanished, if it had been something worth pursuing to begin with. The woman with the man she'd chased had probably been drunk the same as the bozo the miko had met outside, and the couple had just been searching for some place for her to vomit. And there hadn't been a youma sighting in months. Maybe Muse was haunted? The music was loud enough to wake the dead after all.

Rei pushed another path through the squash of club-goers, gentler this second time around but with equal urgency, thinking about getting back to Usagi. If the blonde had had a chance to talk to Mamoru, great, if not… well, there would be other chances. Small doses were the key; it was probably just as hard on Mamoru too, being lumped together with his ex-girlfriend for any substantial length of time. It had to be taken slow, on both sides. To that end, Rei had to get back.

The raven-haired girl realised that she was worrying too much. Overindulgent; as usual when it had to do with her Princess's happiness. But it couldn't be helped. She'd have to shut off her feelings for Usagi if she wanted to-sooner ask Rei to cut out her own heart.

Rei was amid a forest of people, in virtual darkness, without a clue where precisely in the club her hunt for imaginary evils had taken her; however she didn't waver on her way back, somehow positive that she wouldn't become lost on the return trip to her lover's side.

* * *

Usagi watched Rei go until her Senshi of Fire and Passion was swallowed by dancers and darkness, but still for moments afterwards the blonde's eyes lingered where her girlfriend had disappeared. She dreaded turning around to face the past, to face his eyes; his pain-pain that she'd caused. Usagi had been determined to make it better; she'd always held onto the belief that they'd be friends; her, Mamoru, *and* Rei; that somehow she'd 'fix' things between herself and Mamoru; but now, confronted with the reality, her resolve was trickling away. What could she really say or do to heal a broken heart she'd shattered herself? The only cure she could think of was the one beyond her means. Usagi had parted on good terms with her Prince she'd thought, farewelling a love that would dwindle with her absence, but the longer she'd gone without so much as laying eyes on him the more concerned she'd become. Maybe Mamoru hated her. Maybe he hated her and Rei both. Maybe… he still loved her. Usagi longed for Rei to come back.

Usagi retreated a few steps and absently sat down in the booth beside Minako's propped up feet. She tried not to look at the Senshi of Love, or the Guardian of Time across from her. Mamoru even had secret get togethers with Minako and Setsuna. Minako hadn't said a word about it, and if Setsuna had said something Rei would have told her. Right now, it wasn't only Mamoru who the Moon Princess felt was distant from her. Usagi should have been in the company of friends, but sitting there she felt alone. She kept her eyes down, avoiding Mamoru's face and even Motoki's, and kept Minako and Setsuna in her peripheral vision at most, lifting her head only to search for her Senshi of Fire's return-a frequent endeavour.

When Usagi raised her head yet another time, he was there. The blonde couldn't prevent herself from looking up at Mamoru standing there, his hand offered to her. She realised the club's mad music had mellowed, the dancing no longer wild and involving dozens, but slow and between pairs-couples.

Mamoru said nothing, but he smiled. He was reaching out where Usagi couldn't.

Minako's feet pushed into Usagi's back, urging her to accept. And the Princess did. She took his hand and his smile grew, though his eyes stayed the same; melancholy trapped in the soulful dark blue pools. He led her to the nearest dance floor in sight of the booth, and with the past as their guide both Mamoru and Usagi turned to each other. Mamoru's hands were tentative on her waist, and Usagi's arms rested on the Prince's shoulders, her fingers lightly laced behind his neck.

They danced. Usagi was tense, and not really a consummate dancer to begin with, was rigid in her movements. It shouldn't have felt this… awkward; she and Mamoru had danced before, on several occasions. Yet she found it hard to sync with his lead; many times she feared she'd trod on his feet or trip over herself.

Perhaps sensing her discomfort and fearing her imbalance as well, Mamoru drew Usagi closer to him, his hands slipping further around her waist to her back, closing around her in an embrace. For a second the blonde remained taut as a coiled spring, but the familiarity of the muscular arms enveloping her had her own arms unconsciously slide down from Mamoru's shoulders to lie on his chest. Gingerly at first Usagi leaned against him, her head over his heart. She let her eyes close.

He was still the same Mamoru. It was the same strength, the same warmth, the same smell. It was the same Mamoru she knew and loved. And yet everything was different. It wasn't the same love she felt. They were exactly the same people, and yet… yet so totally changed. Usagi's heart went out to Mamoru, but not in the way she felt he wished. The Princess cared about him and always would… however being with him now wasn't like being with Rei. It was… *hot* with Rei, exhilarating; the raven-haired beauty lit a fire inside Usagi; ignited a love that the blonde felt could burn her up with its intensity. Yet there was more behind the ardour; there was the easiness of being best friends, the kindling for the flames, for the passion that followed. Usagi could really *feel* Rei's love for her; could see it smoulder in her beautiful amethyst eyes with her every look, sense its heat in her every caress. There was a fire inside Rei as well, the fire that had lit Usagi's. What Usagi felt she knew Rei felt too. Usagi's heart burned with Rei's, and she couldn't imagine it ever being cool again.

"Where are the drinks? I'm melting here! Ugh, you, what's-your-name-Motoki!-you go!"

Usagi overheard Minako's grumbling and Motoki's groans and lifted her head from Mamoru's chest, opening her eyes to who she already knew was there. She swallowed a tad nervously, wondering what the girl must have thought to see her with her old flame.

"Can I cut in?" Rei said simply.

Mamoru smiled at her and nodded, but there was nothing in his smile except acceptance. He didn't hate anyone. Of course he didn't. He wouldn't be the man Usagi had loved if he did.

Mamoru stepped back from the Princess and then aside, departing the dance floor. He looked back only once, but it was enough to tear at Usagi's heart. He did still love her.

Rei was quiet as she took Usagi in her arms, her hands dipping low as was their bold custom, staring avidly into the blonde's gaze, the amethysts burning with the promise of never-ending passions to come. Usagi would have shivered if not for the heat it inspired within her. The Moon Princess instead draped her arms around her lover's shoulders, holding her near, needing her close-wanting the fire.

Rei was smaller than Mamoru, slimmer, her shoulders not as broad or her body as thick; softer, feminine. Dancing with her Senshi of Passion couldn't be mistaken for dancing with a man; it was a girl Usagi cuddled and squeezed, a girl she moved in harmony with. Nor could it be mistaken that Usagi was dancing with anybody else but the person she was in love with.

They kissed, whether a disconsolate Minako could see them no more a concern than anyone else seeing. Some things couldn't be held back-like Usagi's lips against Rei's. Her Fire Senshi met her passion and then demanded more, with the Princess only delighted to provide. If Usagi could live forever in a moment, it would be this one; in this kiss, in this love-in this fire.

Usagi relaxed against Rei, her breath stolen from her, her head going to the crook of the other girl's neck. She laid tender pecks against the slender throat in front of her, the rapid heartbeat of her girlfriend felt against her lips. "What happened to my lemonade?"

Usagi heard Rei chuckle, low and husky. They could just drink from each other's lips all night instead.

* * *

"I know, I'm sorry! We were…. I am, I am…. I'm with Rei…. Tell Papa it wasn't her fault, it was Minako's! I'm coming home now, okay? …Yes, I'm eating right this second…. You can warm it anyway…. No you won't, Mama! She's already had her share! She should be in bed! It better be there when I get home! …Okay…. Okay, bye."

Usagi closed her mobile phone with a laboured breath, and then stuffed it inside her jacket while Rei looked on, a sympathetic wince on her features. Time had run away from the couple in club Muse, and if it wasn't for Usagi's rumbling stomach-a better timekeeper than any clock-they'd probably still be there dancing obliviously with the shamelessly irresponsible Senshi of Beauty. It wasn't a surprise that the Moon Princess's parents were fretting; it was pushing eleven and the Tsukino's hadn't seen their daughter since she'd left for school in the morning-and arrived tardy, thanks to the previous night's frivolities with Naru. The redhead had also been late Rei had heard, though the Fire Senshi herself hadn't shared her and Usagi's fate-she could get up in the morning when she really had to, though her mood was dependent on how many hours she'd slept beforehand.

Two late bedtimes in a row on school nights simply weren't going to agree with Usagi; she already didn't know what punctuality meant, or what a respectable hour was to claw herself out of bed when she *had* had a decent rest. Rei wondered how Minako dealt with her own parents when she was apparently out greeting the sunrise so often-if it became three late bedtimes in a row perhaps Usagi could get some tips. She'd need them.

"We'll get you home before twelve," Rei said, walking alongside her Princess on the street, somewhere in Roppongi where the nightlife still thrived around them. Kenji Tsukino could be prickly about her keeping Usagi out later than midnight, and that *wasn't* on a school night; it was important for Rei to get the blonde back home before then if she hoped to stay in his good books. He already wasn't exactly thrilled that Rei couldn't keep her hands off his daughter. Doubtless it was Ikuko who was holding Kenji back from saying anything about that, although the thought that the woman was responsible wasn't entirely comforting.

"Mm," Usagi agreed absently, juggling with a soda held to her chest as she dug one hand into a paper burger bag. Her ravenous appetite couldn't be denied for long; a detour to the nearest fast food restaurant had been a given following their departure from the club. Snack foods from the Hikawa Jinja were all that had fuelled her while shaking her hips on the dance floor; it was a marvel she had lasted as long as she had… if you overlooked the sheer volume of snack foods she had devoured.

Usagi took out a beef teriyaki burger and after a bit of a struggle to unwrap it, lifted it up to Rei's mouth for the other girl to take a bite. The blonde smiled indulgently when the Senshi of Fire obliged, and then sunk her teeth into a big mouthful herself. "It's good, huh?" came her muffled voice through chewed burger.

"Only because I'm hungry," Rei said after swallowing. The miko hadn't eaten since leaving the jinja either, and unlike Usagi had been sparing in the partaking of snack foods. Junk food like the burger was okay sometimes.

"Aw~!" Usagi moaned in disappointment; however she brought the burger back to Rei's mouth for her to have another bite anyway.

The Moon Princess's Timeless boutique bags pinned Rei's arms to her sides, but being handfed by Usagi was a more than satisfactory reward for the labour. Besides, Usagi looked more at home carrying food. The blonde had shed her Disguise Pen inspired clubbing outfit too, returning to the image of the girl Rei knew so well and loved so much. The Fire Senshi on the other hand was still a prisoner in the little black dress, though she had become used to its clinginess and scant covering. Nevertheless, that hadn't stopped her wearing her jacket over it while outside on the streets.

Usagi continued to trade burger bites with Rei, and added shared sips of the soda she had to the menu, however from her mounting solemn silence and timid body language the miko could tell something weighed on her girlfriend's mind. Rei waited patiently for her to find the words. "Um… Rei…. About Mamoru and I, dancing…. You know, I…."

Rei smirked faintly. So that was it. "I know."

"You're not mad?" Usagi said tentatively, as if expecting a fiery outburst from Rei. With another partner maybe, in another life; but not with her Princess, not here in this happily ever after.

Rei shook her head gently. "I trust you." She smiled, a little surprised at her other feelings. "I trust him."

Usagi beamed at her, the blonde's eyes bright and appreciative, and eagerly provided Rei with another draught of soda until it gurgled its last. "I don't know if we helped Minako and Setsuna much," she commented, taking the soda back to suck on the straw one final time, making sure the cup was empty but for ice. "But at least they were together, right?"

Rei nodded hesitantly. "Mm." They hadn't danced together once all night. Rei thought Minako's vivacious personality would have seen her haul Setsuna onto the dance floor eventually regardless of the Outer Senshi's tastes and disposition, yet the Senshi of Love had found the company of strangers partying next to her more to her liking. Theirs was a peculiar relationship. Maybe Rei should just butt out and have faith in their feelings. It was the polite and respectable thing to do. Meddling in love lives was a predilection of Usagi's, not Rei's.

Rei sighed deeply, wondering if she was kidding herself. She wanted her two friends happy, and if her aid-subtle, of course-was what it took, then she would meddle. She wondered too if that was Usagi talking; if more of the odango atama's personality had rubbed off on her.

"Let's get a taxi," the Fire Senshi said as her Princess popped the last bite of the beef teriyaki burger into her own mouth, chewing it cheerfully, before peering into the fast food bag again. There were still French fries to be had, the knowledge surely the source of Usagi's high spirits. Or perhaps how matters were between herself, her girlfriend, and Mamoru had something to do with it. Tonight might have been a disappointment for Minako and Setsuna, but for Rei and Usagi and Mamoru, it had been… hopeful. Whatever the reason, Rei was glad to witness her Princess's joy.

"We should go danc- clubbing again!" Usagi proposed enthusiastically as she stood between two parked cars, trying to flag down a cab while tossing fries into her mouth.

Rei admitted it had been fun once she was there and had gotten into it, although that might have been because Usagi was with her. "In moderation, Usagi. And not when we have school the next day," she declared in an indulgent tone.

Clubbing still wasn't really her thing, however Rei didn't regret going out this evening. Anyplace, any activity, was enriched by Usagi's presence. If her Princess was with her there was fun to be had in the most mundane of tasks and in the most tedious of locales. It was the quality of a best friend… and a lover. Usagi was both to Rei-it meant life was never dull.

But the girls were also Sailor Senshi-and a Senshi's life had a way of always being interesting as well.

* * *

The flamboyantly clad human was dumped at Chamista and Jadeite's feet on her knees; a capture from the latest ration hunt; bleeding from the head and all but oblivious in her daze to the prophetic whimpering and begging her fellows made beside her. She was fortunate. Her stupor would be the painkiller the other cattle wished they'd had.

"This had better work," Chamista warned, glaring narrowly at the human male next to her. "If nothing comes of this sacrifice, *we* go hungry…."

Jadeite looked at her but held his tongue, as well as the crystal shard tighter in his fist. The youma would have him fill their bellies if their human stock was slaughtered for naught. Snatching humans from their swallow existences was a risky undertaking; too many and the others of their species might take notice, too few and the youma starved… and toyed with thoughts of revolt. Chamista had set a perfect median for maintaining secrecy and morale. But if what Jadeite said was true….

"Have at it, then," the mage commanded impetuously.

Jadeite raised the crystal in his hand aloft, its facets slowly starting to glow with eldritch purple light, yet pitch shadows swirled at their centres. Before the colour swallowed the man's entire fist, the light burst from the crystal's faces, rays skewering the seven humans assembled in a line on their knees before him and Chamista, and shooting onwards to unite with the crystal growth implanted in the floor nearby. The growth began to burn with a similar dark energy, burgeoning, breathing like a living thing, new crystal protrusions sprouting through the concrete and tiles as fungus after a rainstorm.

The cattle, for their part, were silent in their destruction, stricken dumb and immobile as babes while the crystal stole from them what it needed. Chamista understood. She could feel it-their lifeforce draining, their souls siphoned; dangerously corruptive magicks, but routinely effective.

The light shut off and the crystal shard in Jadeite's hand cleared to glass, however the growth retained its purplish tint. The humans collapsed, released from their paralysis, yet not their lives. They breathed still, though for all intents and purposes were dead to the world, unconscious and no longer whole beings. Still….

"Your method is inefficient. It is wasteful," Chamista curtly critiqued. She made a peculiar gesture with her hand; peculiar to anyone not familiar with her craft; and the shard in Jadeite's grip whirled free, slapping into hers. "There is more to be had."

The youma channelled her powers through the crystal, tasting its residual dark taint, and let it feed once again. The beams of light stabbed the prostrate humans, connecting them to the crystal growth, yet this time it was without restraint. Before Chamista's, Jadeite's, and the other youma's eyes, the humans decayed; their hair greying and falling out in clumps; their skin mottling and drying, flaking away with the underground chamber's dust motes; muscles atrophying, organs withering, bones splitting. Their bodies crumbled as though constructed of sand, every scrap of life in their every cell harvested. The crystal growth thrived in the vampiric feast, swelling to a garden.

When there was nothing left to take, Chamista tossed the crystal shard back to Jadeite. He caught it stoically.

A youma snorted gruffly. "Well done, you've made a pretty thing," he said mockingly, eyeing the crystal garden with a distasteful sneer on his two mouths.

"No…" Chamista murmured softly, scrutinising the crystal phenomenon herself. It was beautiful. Purple glass flowers; petals sharp and stamens dark. "I see the potential." Her gaze hardened as it turned upon her youma, along with her voice. "We must gather more. More food. We have another… 'mouth' to feed." Her attention on the garden again, she smiled in awe, wicked fangs bared. "It has such an appetite," she whispered, marvelling at what she felt with her arcane insight.

"But… the Sailor Senshi," another youma spoke up. "If we- They will come to reali-"

"The Sailor Senshi will have other concerns," Jadeite's raised voice cut in harshly. His glove squeaked as he clutched the crystal shard even more ruthlessly, and for a moment Chamista pondered if it would shatter under the force.

"Oh?" the mage inquired thoughtfully. How far did his hatred go?

"Together, with her, they are strong," Jadeite explained, staring hard at nothing. The fist squeezed even more. "But they are still human, with human flaws. They can be broken…" He tapped two fingers against his chest, "…from the inside.

"But make no mistake," the blonde man suddenly spat with venom, shifting his baleful glare to Chamista. "I care nothing for you, your kind, or whatever pathetic cause you cling to. Your enemy is my enemy, and that is all."

Chamista smiled faintly. Her pet could think whatever made him happy.

"Usagi Tsukino, Ami Mizuno, Rei Hino, Jupiter, Venus…" Jadeite mumbled to himself. The crystal in his hand cracked.

* * *

To be continued….

Author's ramblings:

MOS Burger. I miss that place.


	4. Forged by Fire

Past Lives - By Kirika

* * *

The third chapter. A bit of an Ami/Makoto chapter. This coupling will have a bigger role in this story than in Absence.

- Kirika

* * *

Chapter 3 - Forged by Fire

The alarm clock's dormant circuits flared to life, a fleeting low electric hum precursor to the radio switching on and blaring all over the bedroom whatever was being broadcast at this early morning hour. Her ears attuned to the faint telltale static and her body clock attuned to waking her precisely before the alarm, Ami's arm unconsciously snapped over to the clock and hit the 'off' button before music or radioshow banter could start and ruin the peace and quiet.

Ami sighed softly, blinking sleep-blurred eyes at the clock's digital readout. Five thirty a.m. She wished she could remain in the peace and quiet or at least linger for a few minutes more, cherishing every second. But it wasn't meant to be.

Ami gently eased her body away from the gloriously warm presence at her back, carefully lifting the arm draped across her; however the tired groan and sudden strengthening of the arm, drawing her back into the enveloping warmth, told the girl her efforts had been in vain. But when she felt soft lips against the nape of her neck she wasn't too disappointed with that. It made it that much more difficult to leave the bed and the other girl in it, such that for a moment the Senshi of Water considered forsaking every else for a longer stay in heaven-for the rest of the morning at least, or even the rest of the day... for as long as she could until she was forced to face the consequences.

Ami sighed again. She could fantasise all she liked, pretending to be the impulsive girl controlled by her heart no matter the price-she had already decided on her course of action and she knew nothing short of sudden extreme circumstances could sway her. She was too responsible. Too logical, too sensible. Never blind to the bigger picture. The rational choice, the safe path... That was her.

A smile grew on the blue haired teenager's face as the kisses continued, and she angled her neck to invite the lips to have more of her. She'd had her moments, however. Ami wouldn't be here now, in this bed, experiencing this love, if she was wholly thrall to reason and good judgement. It had been the biggest risk she'd ever taken, the most she'd ever put on the line, yet at the time she could think of nothing else but the consequences of *not* pursuing it... not pursuing *her*. Fate had been kind in the end, but if it hadn't, Ami wondered if she would've regretted her decision.

The Senshi of Wisdom let her eyes that were yearning to close do so and reached back, caressing one long thigh. No, she would have regretted not trying sooner or later, when perhaps it was too late.

The girl behind her groaned again, louder, as Ami slid out of her embrace and out of her bed. This morning wasn't one for taking risks, and there would be other mornings where she *could* linger.

"I have to get up," Ami said quietly, kneeling down at the edge of the bed to brush her fingers through mussed brunette locks. She did so adore the taller girl in the morning, vulnerable in her drowsiness. "She'll be home soon. But you can sleep longer."

"No," Makoto mumbled almost unintelligibly, her lips barely moving and her eyelids glued shut from too little sleep, "I'll make you breakfast."

"Alright," Ami said indulgently, knowing better than to argue. Makoto would probably fall back asleep without coaxing from her anyway.

Ami leaned forwards over the bed and kissed her lover on the cheek before standing up and proceeding to the bathroom. Once inside she plucked her toothbrush from the cup by the sink and brushed her teeth, then afterwards stripped off her nightgown and tossed it in the laundry hamper. She turned on the shower, adjusting the hot and cold faucets just right with practiced ease, and then stood under the soothing jets, letting them soak her hair.

It was like she lived in this apartment. Indeed, she spent more days and nights here with Makoto than she did at the apartment she shared with her mother. Thanks to the commitment demanded by a career in the medical field, it was as if Ami lived alone at home more often than not, her mother's busy schedule at Juuban Secondary General Hospital meaning they often went without seeing each other for days at a time; Ami either already in bed when her mother came home or visa-versa, or one of them up and gone early in the morning before the other had even awakened. Ami understood however, and aspired to one day emulate her mother's dedication and expertise, and become a doctor herself.

Today was one of the mornings where her mother would come home before Ami was supposed to be awake, and would expect to find her daughter asleep in her room. There were only so many times the Senshi of Water could pretend to have left for school incredibly early. The upside to her mother being on call at hospital the entire day and night was that it freed Ami to spend *her* entire night in the company of Makoto, in the Senshi of Thunder's apartment... and in her bed until the following morning, without suspicion.

Ami didn't enjoy the sneaking around, hiding the truth, and the worst-the rare outright lying to her mother's face. Yet the idea of confessing to her mother about where she *really* was, what she was *really* doing, what her 'friend' *really* meant to her... She hadn't Makoto's courage, and while the other girl would probably tell her mother if Ami were to ask her, it wasn't the brunette's place to suffer that duty. Ami had to tell her mother herself. The Senshi of Water didn't believe her kind and hardworking mother would be repelled, but... how could she be so sure? What dreams did Saeko Mizuno have for her daughter, beyond that of following in her footsteps career-wise? A husband? Children? The comfortable family she'd never managed? It was her own life to live, Ami knew, but the thought of defying or disappointing her only parent did not sit well with her.

Ami heard the shower curtain rings screech as the plastic veil was pulled open, and she grinned knowingly to herself, not surprised. Makoto's hands came around her body to take the soap from her, and began working up a lather before her eyes. The Senshi of Water could feel her lover's larger form pressing up against her, naked as she was, the water-slickened bumps and curves a delight on her skin.

Makoto deposited the soap in the shower caddy and let her foamy hands roam, slipping and sliding over Ami's stomach and chest in a weak pretence of washing. The brunette teased over and around certain spots; certain fleshy spots known for provoking gasps from the girl enclosed in her arms; and Ami didn't hold back now, either. Makoto's silky fingers rubbed and pinched, and Ami arched her back, wanting more and more. And her lover obliged, her hands finally sliding along the contours of the Senshi of Water's inner thighs, where wetness not from the shower had sprung but was part of the blue haired girl's element, her essence, nonetheless.

It looked as though breakfast would be as simplistic as cereal and toast, if anything at all.

* * *

Makoto opened the front door and held it there for her girlfriend, allowing Ami to walk by her into the hall outside her apartment. Ami turned back to see the brunette standing there solemnly, dressed for the imminent school day as she was in Juuban High School's uniform, her wavy tresses now reined into her trademark ponytail. Their partings were always plagued by an element of sorrow; Makoto didn't show it when they were in the company of friends, but here, just the two of them, the taller girl had no qualms about appearing morose.

"I'll see you soon, at school," Ami said while attempting to capture the green eyes that were lowered glumly to the floor. It was difficult for her too, but they'd be together again. Theirs was a bond that would not be broken by mere time and distance. They were more fortunate than most-they had forever. Nevertheless, it didn't seem to matter to Makoto in these moments. The Senshi of Wisdom could understand that.

Makoto nodded, but it was resigned at best. She handed Ami her schoolbag. "I'll make you an extra special lunch to make up for breakfast."

"I'll look forward to it," Ami replied with a smile, carrying her bag in both hands in front of her. Every meal Makoto prepared was extra special however; Ami was very grateful her girlfriend was so willing to pamper her with her finely crafted cuisines-there was nary a school day where she ate a lunch that wasn't a Mako masterpiece, and she couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten dinner at home.

The Senshi of Water looked away. "Although, I *did* rather enjoy breakfast..."

Makoto reddened a little, aware that it wasn't the hastily poured cereal that had had Ami in ecstasy.

Ami smiled broadly, quite impishly for her, and stepped towards her girlfriend, raising herself up on her tiptoes so she could taste the Senshi of Courage's lips. Makoto wasn't so consumed by embarrassment that she couldn't kiss back with matching enthusiasm.

Minutes later a somewhat flushed Ami left Makoto's apartment complex, mingling with salarymen and office ladies on the street as they headed to work, while she herself was bound for the complex that housed her and her mother's apartment. A few months ago she couldn't have envisioned herself capable of this morning's behaviour... let alone with one of her friends, a fellow Guardian Senshi... with Makoto. Love and romance... she hadn't given such things much consideration before... *then*. A lot had changed since that night, and it wasn't exclusive to her life.

Rei had come back from the dead, an inferno of emotion and zeal, still harbouring feelings for Usagi, which the Princess had eventually learned of, and come to return, splitting from her long-time Prince and love, Mamoru. Ami was happy for Rei-she had glimpsed the Senshi of Fire's private and profound torture before the Princess had healed it-but part of her could hardly believe Usagi had said goodbye to Mamoru, whom she had seemed so infatuated with. But sometimes Ami could hardly believe she was with Makoto now, either. That the brunette had felt the same, that Mako... Who really knew what was in the hearts of others, or what Fate had in store? If Rei hadn't 'died', Minako wouldn't have beseeched Ami to truly confront how she felt. Ami wouldn't have listened to her own heart; wouldn't have put love first; wouldn't have taken that risk. She wouldn't be where she was now, embraced in her best friend's tender, adoring affection-embraced wholly by the person she loved and who loved her. She wouldn't have known what it was like to be in love with and to be loved back by the only person who'd really mattered-the one she'd held secretly in her heart the longest. Her soulmate.

Ami could scarcely imagine the alternative; what might not have been. Her life merely as Makoto's friend and nothing beyond that, her feelings suppressed, hidden, until they faded into such an obscurity they were as good as gone. The Senshi of Wisdom wondered if she would have spent eternity alone, never knowing why, and that salvation was only as far as her best friend's abode. She mused whether Makoto was taken sometimes by similar reflections, and then smiled faintly to herself when she realised the girl must be. How could anyone not be? Without Ami, Makoto would probably have found a guy to her liking at some point, married him, had children, and become the devoted housewife she seemed born to be.

It was strange to think about... there were as many possible paths in life as there were streets in this city-more so. Ami felt she was on the right path. She'd never experienced this kind of happiness; this kind of inner peace. Luna spoke against it, but how could this feeling be wrong? Perhaps it had been destiny from the very beginning, perhaps as far back as the first Silver Millennium and the Moon Kingdom. But to Ami, it had really begun all those months ago, after the death of a Senshi...

* * *

Ami lay in bed, but sleep was elusive, and had been for several nights now. She lay and stared at her bedroom's ceiling, into the dark, into nothing. She wondered if it would always be this way from now on. Unable to find rest, only able to think. To dwell. A prisoner in her own mind. It would never be the same, would it? They'd never be whole again. It was like a wound, like a part of everyone had died when Rei had. Ami hadn't felt her death, or anything at all that might have hinted at her demise, and she frequently tried to... somehow reach out to her, hoping for a glimmer of... *something*. She didn't really know what she was doing. Regardless, she never received an answer. It was as if every possible link to her fellow Sailor Senshi had been severed.

The funeral had been a couple of days ago. She had left no earthly remains, but that was to be expected from a Sailor Senshi. Ami imagined a gentle shower of red sparkles, twinkling motes caught in a sudden breeze, slowly fading in flight. A peaceful passing; no blood, no violated corpse, nothing to sully the memory of the warrior, the girl-the people who had known her would remember her the way she had been, beautiful and vibrant. That's how Ami would remember Rei.

They'd 'laid' her to rest beside her mother. It was all symbolism with nothing to fill the casket, but it had still mattered to everyone there. It had been a Christian service, a fact that had surprised Ami a little; however she hadn't known it had been the faith of Rei's mother before seeing the headstone erected beside the miko's. It explained why the Senshi of Fire had attended a Catholic school. None of her school friends had come though, only the Sailor Senshi, Mamoru, and of course Yuuichirou and her grandfather. Ami's heart went out to Rei's jinja family; they'd never know the real reason their friend and granddaughter had lost her life. They'd never know that she had lived as a hero, and had given her life as one.

The Sailor Senshi had come together in the tragedy, trying to be strong for one another, leaning on each other, but ultimately each had to deal with the loss in their own way. The Outer Senshi kept to themselves as they tended to do, perhaps not as deeply scarred as the Inner Senshi since it hadn't been one of their own-no, they were *all* comrades, *all* Senshi. At any rate, Chibi-Usa sought solace from them, and probably predominantly from her best friend Hotaru. Ami knew the future Princess wasn't staying with Mamoru or Usagi at least, but that was no wonder.

Minako, Ami hadn't seen outside of Sailor Senshi affairs since the Wake. The once bubbly blonde had thrown herself into her duty, running herself ragged stoically coordinating the offensive with Haruka against the nightly youma incursions that had all but exploded since they had faced the first otherworldly creature almost a week ago, and lost Rei in the process. The Senshi of Wisdom mused whether Minako felt to blame for what had happened. But as every surviving Guardian Senshi probably had, Ami had gone over and over the events in her mind countless times, and no matter how much she thought about doing things differently, it was a pointless exercise. It wouldn't bring Rei back. She knew enough however to see that no one was at fault. Maybe it was simply Minako's method of dealing with the grief.

Usagi... wasn't herself anymore. She clung to Mamoru for the most part, the Prince doing his best to be the stalwart pillar that supported the girl. But the wound was deepest in the Princess, and it still bled. It seemed to suck the life out of her. Yet she insisted on joining in on the more and more heated and dangerous fighting; vehemently adamant in fact; but this shadow of the girl Ami had known was reckless, often putting her life on the line when it didn't have to be. If not for Mamoru, Tuxedo Kamen, they might have suffered the loss of another Senshi; their Princess no less.

And then there was Ami herself, and Makoto. Ami's mother had provided what comfort she could after the death of a friend, but the demands of her job waited for nothing and no one, and she couldn't be at home for her daughter often. It was Makoto that Ami found true relief with, her best friend, her shoulder to cry on. Ami didn't try to keep back the tears when she was with the Senshi of Thunder. And Makoto was always there with her hugs and understanding. Conversely the brunette didn't exhibit her own pain beyond the occasional tear indulged when Ami's deluge was soaking her top; the Senshi of Wisdom wondered if her grief was what stoppered her friend's, that she felt she had to be strong in the face of it, or if Makoto was just that resilient. Makoto had dealt with death on a personal level before, after all.

Ami lived the last several days over and over again, especially when in her dark bedroom left with nothing else but her thoughts. But it wasn't just contemplations of Rei that she turned over endlessly in her mind. She considered what Minako had said to her at the Wake, clutching her arm, and the Senshi of Love's eyes red and obscured by tears.

Somehow Minako had known. True to her namesake she'd figured it out, had unravelled the quiet affection Ami kept in her heart. And that wasn't all Minako had seen with her love-tuned eyes-she had spoken of Rei's feelings for Usagi, unrequited, and now forever so. Rei had died for the one she'd loved, however Usagi would never know that. Who would tell the Princess now, and compound her despair? Not Minako, and not Ami, and they were the only ones privy to Rei's secret to the Senshi of Wisdom's knowledge.

The dual revelations had had Ami reeling, but it was Minako pleading with her not to leave how she felt alone like Rei had done that had left the blue haired girl wide-eyed. Had the blonde told Makoto the same? Maybe she had. Maybe Makoto was thinking the same things Ami was right now. Or maybe Minako hadn't, if the affection in Ami's heart wasn't mirrored in her best friend's. Then why would the Senshi of Love have told Ami to pursue her feelings?

Ami closed her swollen eyes, tears pricking at her rubbed raw lids. She had done it so much; she was amazed she had it in her still to cry. She knew why. She knew why Minako had come to her. What if it hadn't been Rei, but Makoto? How would Ami have felt? Rei had taken something to her grave that she should have shared; it may have been a hopeless love, but it had still been *love*, and worthy of notice. Rei had denied Usagi something that had been the blonde's to choose what to do with, and now she'd never have the chance. Would Ami have been satisfied if she lost all hope of seeing Makoto again, with the other girl eternally oblivious to the profound and sincere feelings she bore for her?

Makoto might not feel the same as she did. Ami might harm their friendship. But even against outright rejection, Ami had to try. If she died tomorrow, at least Makoto would know that she had loved her. And if Makoto died... at least Ami would have the small comfort of her best friend having known someone had loved her before the end. A Sailor Senshi's shot at immortality wasn't a guarantee; indeed some might say it was less likely they would reach adulthood with the perils they were compelled to combat. Ami could continue lying here in bed, dwelling, believing in a possible future, in a flimsy guarantee... or she could seize the moments she had right now and *make* something of them.

Before she could think on it more, before sense and reason could creep back to deny her this, Ami quickly wiped her eyes and threw off her bedcover, hauling her suddenly not quite so weary body onto its feet. Her mother wasn't in the apartment, the hospital having beckoned her back until the morning-Ami wouldn't be missed. But even if her mother had been here, it wouldn't have slowed the girl. The Senshi of Water hurried to the front door, slipping on some shoes and grabbing a coat and her keys on the way, and left the apartment in pursuit of her heart.

It was late, the dead of night, and the ground was wet with grey clouds pasted against the black curtain overhead promising more. The streets weren't safe, youma thriving in the darkness, and who knew what human undesirables lurked outside at this hour. It was a massive risk. Ami thought about turning back, yet her legs took no notice. She walked briskly through puddles and past shuttered stores, under streetlamps, sometimes bursting into a jog. For some reason she knew there was nothing in the night that could stop her.

Makoto's apartment building stood against the backdrop of a starry sky poking through the grey pall, and Ami's heart swelled. It was a surreal sight at this hour, somehow changed in the gloom and glow of the moonlight. No window shone, yet one was a beacon to the girl on the street below.

Ami ran inside and up the stairs, panting softly now, her frantic footfalls echoing along the stairwell. With her goal in reach thoughts of waking the other residents never crossed her mind, and she didn't slow until she was facing the door behind which a Fate awaited her, perhaps a different future; a new beginning; but whatever the outcome it was her heart's desire that lay on the other side most of all.

Ami rang the bell and waited. Then she rang again scant seconds later. She couldn't wait any more-she'd been waiting too long already without even realising it.

The door opened to more darkness... but Makoto was there in it; a dim outline. Dishevelled, her hair down and sticking up in places, in wrinkled and twisted pyjamas, one eye still shut and asleep while the other blinked bleary for purchase-Ami wasn't sure if she'd ever seen her friend in this fashion. Beautiful still, but there was something soft about it, about her... something vulnerable that cried out to Ami's heart all the more.

"Ami...? What's wrong?" Makoto fired at the smitten Senshi of Water, her left droopy eye prising open somewhat during the barrage. "Is it youma? Why didn't you use the communicator?" She frowned and clumsily rubbed at her sleepy eye. "Are... are you in your pyjamas?"

"C-Can I come in?" Ami asked, still a bit breathless and the exquisiteness before her not helping.

Obviously puzzled, Makoto nevertheless moved aside and let the other girl enter, closing the door after her. "What is it?" the brunette persisted, her tone taking a dive into apprehension-Ami couldn't fault her for that, with recent events. "What's happened?"

Ami shook her head as she kicked off her shoes, walking further into the apartment before turning back to Makoto. She couldn't lift her head from the carpet. She felt her resolve, her certainty to go down this path, wane as though the notion had never entered her thoughts to start with. She had come all this way, but there was still a chance to reverse course. She could make excuses; they'd be easy to come up with, what with Rei. And then... What? Tomorrow; the same as today. And the day after. And the day after that. If *anything* could come from Rei's sacrifice, it would be *this*. She wouldn't give tragedy the opportunity to repeat.

"I..." Ami swallowed, trying to fathom a way to put how she felt into words. It was so clear to her, but her lips wouldn't or couldn't cooperate. "You... and I..." The Senshi of Water squeezed her eyes shut in frustration. The tears were back, but this time not for Rei's love, but for her own. Her courage continued to weaken despite her desperation; slowly abandoning her paralysed on a precipice between the present and future.

Makoto was quickly in front of her, pulling her into her arms; a hug; comfort for a good friend. But that was all. "I know," she whispered. "It doesn't seem to get... 'easier'. Rei was... She was... one of us..."

It was the excuse Ami's weaker self had been waiting for. She could relax into the embrace for what it was, recalling the pain of a lost friend instead of a lost love. She didn't have to say anything more.

Gently Ami pushed away from Makoto and gazed up at her. She could see the Senshi of Thunder's eyes were moist, reflected heartache in their green depths. In that moment all Ami wanted to do was soothe her love's pain. The Senshi of Wisdom really didn't have to say anything more. Words wouldn't suffice. But her lips could still tell Makoto; still speak for her heart in another fashion.

Ami slowly raised herself up on her toes as Makoto's eyes widened, suddenly completely awake, and closed her own eyes at the instant her lips met the other girl's. It was a simple kiss, nothing carnal behind it, and lasted only a handful of seconds. Yet a lifetime was defined in that moment, and Ami knew she'd made the right decision. There was no regret.

The words came easily now-they found her. "I love you." The way she said it, the way she *breathed* the emotion into every word-there was no mistaking the kind of love she meant. Ami held Makoto's gaze, bolder than she'd ever been in her life... and it felt natural.

Makoto stared. Her eyes were big, and her lips remained puckered and parted; frozen. "Ami..." she finally gasped at length, "you..."

Suddenly there was something in her gaze; it deepened, and her arms around the Senshi of Water tightened; the sensation of them, the manner, altering in a fundamental way. Makoto was staring at Ami again, but what the blue haired teenager saw in her eyes was something entirely novel; something only a single person ideally would ever see.

"I..." Makoto sounded unsure and her brow furrowed, as though she couldn't believe it. Ami's heart should have been in her throat; she should have been anxious, bated breath at her best friend's every utterance. But she wasn't. She was at peace. The weight in her heart was gone. Whatever happened, she was free.

"...love you too."

* * *

Ami and Makoto had made love then; somehow ending up in the brunette's bed, the memory of reaching there a blur. Ami had entertained thoughts of holding off, to make their first time 'special'-candles, flowers, silk and lace. Yet none had curbed her hands or her lips. However it happened, wherever, whenever-it would have always been special. Ami had been with Makoto, the one she loved. It had been all that had mattered-just past three a.m., burdened with an insomniac's exhaustion, in her juvenile pyjamas-she had wanted for nothing else, and neither had Makoto going by her enthusiasm. Waiting would have gone against everything that had led Ami into her soulmate's arms. Tomorrow had been hazy; the moment had been real.

Ami remembered it as making love, though if she was honest it had been more fumbling and exploring than a smooth and scripted union. Their clothing gone, the blue haired girl's inborn shyness had finally spoken up to remind her of just where she was and what she was doing, restricting her to timid touches and bashful looks. Makoto hadn't been in a much better state however; she'd been just as nervous. Neither of them had known what really to do. It had taken Ami aback; Makoto had had boyfriends before, yet she'd been no more confident than her. The Senshi of Water had been almost certain that the brunette would have... guided her, yet it had been together that they had made their discoveries. Their eyes had lapped up sights of places on one another they'd never seen before, and fingertips had soon followed, then hands, and then lips. Eventually shyness had been overcome by curiosity in both girls-and then curiosity by newfound lust.

Ami had started her night in love with the person inside, Makoto's heart and soul, yet before dawn she'd found delight in the more overt physical characteristics of the Senshi of Courage. She'd discovered a passion for the other girl's long legs; running her hands along their length as they stretched luxuriously into the air, or wrapped around her all but a vice; and, somewhat to her shame even now, for Makoto's sizable chest. Makoto hadn't seemed to mind the latter interest however, and had permitted Ami her... enjoyment. It had ultimately led to the discovery of another passion, Ami's favourite of all-watching Makoto's face suffused with pleasure that she'd induced.

By the time they had collapsed on the bed beside each other; snuggled close with their arms' tight embraces keeping them that way, muscles and more aching while they breathed heavily; they could map each other's bodies as though it were their own. Ami had rested her head on her lover's chest, rising and falling with the girl's breathing, and the rhythm of the brunette's heartbeat in her ear. She had slept then. There had been no youma in that night, no fallen Senshi clawing at their hearts and memories; it had been just the two of them in a shared moment. The subsequent night they had fought as Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter, back on course, in harsh reality... but not as harsh as it could have been.

Ami smiled spontaneously at the memory while she walked up the stairs to her and her mother's apartment. She had been sore that night too, though it hadn't been from the fighting. Their love had kept them sane during the constant bloody battles; sane when Michiru had been badly injured and Minako and Mamoru had been abducted; it had been something beautiful they'd had together in an otherwise ugly world. It had only become more brilliant with time.

Ami unlocked and opened her apartment door, still with her fond smile and glassy-eyed at her pleasant recollections, when she heard laughter from deeper in the apartment. Her mother was already home! And she was... laughing? Ami couldn't recall ever hearing her mother laugh like that... or *laugh* beyond a few polite chuckles, *ever*. A second laugh came after, low and masculine. Her mother had company over? Her mother *never* had company over. Company for her was Ami.

Despite her mother's apparent high spirits, Ami was dreading her encounter with her. She had to have heard the Senshi come in; Ami hadn't been subtle about her return home, expecting an empty apartment. Still, she considered turning around and going right back to Makoto's. Perhaps her mother's male companion had served as enough of a distraction to mask her entrance, and she could take advantage of him once more to make a quiet exit. She could come up with an excuse for not being in her room when she returned later. Pretending to have left at the crack of dawn for school might just have to do again. Maybe Ami could say she went to get breakfast somewhere? Internally she cringed at the out-and-out lie... but with her initial ruse foiled, she hadn't the luxury of choice.

"Ami?"

Ami internally cringed again. Her choices were becoming more and more limited every second.

After slipping off her shoes and taking a quick breath, the blue haired teenager walked from the vestibule into the living area. Her mother was sitting at the dining table, still in her green scrubs and white lab coat, and across from her was a casually dressed and rather striking man the Senshi of Wisdom hadn't seen before. He was young in comparison to her mother, about Mamoru's age give or take a year, and possessed dark red hair and a muscular build, though Ami sensed a frailty about him the way he was hunched over slightly, his hands clutched around a coffee cup as if desperate for the warmth. Another cup was in front of Ami's mother-the girl wondered how long they had been here.

"Ami, this is Takeru Sakai."

Takeru bowed slightly in his chair, and Ami automatically did the same where she stood, still unsure what to make of the situation. "I'm a patient of your mother's," he said, smiling pleasantly at the girl.

"*Former* patient," Ami's mother interjected. "Fraternising would be frowned upon otherwise."

"My mistake," Takeru grinned sheepishly. "Dr. Mizuno has been good to me. I probably own her my life."

"'Saeko', please," Ami's mother gaily insisted, reaching out to touch the young man's arm briefly.

"Mm," Ami mumbled softly, nodding at the appropriate times, her mother's good humour rather off-putting. She felt uncomfortable.

Abruptly her mother's mood shifted as the woman took off her glasses, revealing her tired eyes. "Where have you been this early in the morning?" she asked. Just as abruptly Ami was longing for her mother's jovial disposition again.

"I... I was..." the Senshi of Water floundered under that fatigued but unyielding gaze, her excuses fluttering away from her as she scrambled after them. Takeru's presence had knocked her off balance, and now her 'illicit' nocturnal activities were about to be thrust into the spotlight. The more frantically she wracked her mind for an explanation, the more difficult it seemed to grasp onto one.

"She was probably out with her boyfriend," Takeru quipped, giving Ami a mirthful wink.

"N-No, I was-" Ami began again as she felt her face heat. Distantly she wondered what had set the fire underneath her cheeks; mention of her having any romantic partner whatsoever, the thought of how close it was to the truth, that she didn't have a boyfriend but a *girlfriend*, or the memory of what she'd been up to with Makoto. Maybe they'd all had a role in stoking the flames.

"Have you eaten?" her mother inquired instead, mercifully, and somewhat uncharacteristically, apparently not too bothered regarding her daughter's prior whereabouts. "I was about to make Takeru and I breakfast."

"Um, that's alright," Ami hastily said, backing away a timid step. "I... I should go. I just came to... um..."

"I hope I'm not chasing you out of your own apartment," Takeru remarked, dipping his head apologetically.

Ami shook her head, and forced herself to smile at her mother's 'former patient'. She bowed to him. "It was nice to meet you."

The redhead nodded. "Likewise."

Hurriedly Ami returned to the foyer and put her shoes back on, then left the apartment. She'd never given a thought to remaining there and eating with her mother and Takeru-she knew it would have lived up to her imagination in terms of awkwardness and unpleasantness. Besides, she didn't want to intrude on her mother and her... friend?

The Sailor Senshi released a deep breath, settling on simply being glad to be out of there. Of course it would have easier if her mother had known about her relationship with Makoto. Ami might have even taken Takeru in her stride and left them alone a little more gracefully. But as beautiful as her love with Makoto was, she wasn't sure her mother was ready for it.

* * *

Minako bit off a yelp as she banged her head on the van's ceiling for the second time, and then paused a moment for a calming breath, and for a break from straining to pull on the black and glittery pair of flared jeans that were beginning to not seem worth the trouble despite how nice they looked. They belonged to Setsuna though-well, the design anyway-and immediately the blonde felt bad grumbling over them. This was her fourth change of outfit in these cramped conditions however; no one could blame her for becoming a little antsy. What size were these pants anyway? Had she gotten them mixed up with Junko's or Emi's? Maybe she should try lying on the floor.

Minako glanced over to her two 'colleagues', wondering if she looked as foolish as those girls did struggling amid quiet but frustrated grunts to quickly strip off their old outfits and don the next one on their schedule. Was her butt hanging out like that too? The Senshi of Love hoped the ensemble after this called for a skirt or a dress instead. Idly she mused whether Setsuna was to blame for the clothing demanded for the shoot and if she should complain to the woman. No one had said anything about changing in tiny spaces when Minako had taken this job. She guessed neither she nor the other two models with her were popular enough to warrant a giant trailer for an on-location photoshoot, but the oversized van they were in was mostly taken up by clothing racks, and then there was that annoying low ceiling forcing her to stoop every second! Would she knock herself out before her back gave in? Simply changing outside might even be more tolerable than this. Underwear was pretty much the same as a cotton bikini except with more frilly bits anyway, most of the time. Setsuna could hold up a sheet or something if passersby took offense or perverts came out of the woodwork.

The Senshi of Beauty sighed and resumed her battle, wiggling her hips from side-to-side, hoping that it was helping. Being a model wasn't as glamorous as she'd been led to believe. It had its moments, sure, and it wasn't really that hard work, but there were times-like now!-when it was an ordeal. It was competitive too-Minako hadn't met anybody else in the business that was very nice. Everybody looked at everybody else as a rival; behind the beautiful smiles and enticing winks they gave the camera there was a whole lot of animosity. Minako couldn't call anybody she'd shared a magazine spread with a friend. Either they were indifferent to her, all but pretending she didn't exist bar when they had to pose together, or were... unpleasant. Minako was a new girl as well-the established models seemed to resent her 'invading' their territory.

Minako had aspired to be a model and an idol for *so* long; dreamed of it, *wanted* it more than nearly anything; yet now she was one, or a model at least, and the enjoyment she garnered was fleeting at best-the emotion closest to her heart was discontent. Perhaps that was just how it was with dreams; the dream, the way you saw it playing out in your head, couldn't compare to the reality once it was achieved. It might get better. Maybe the glamour was just around the corner, after a few months or years strutting her stuff and pulling faces in front of a lens. She hadn't even seen a catwalk yet, nevermind been blessed to walk one. At least she got out of classes heaps. It seemed school administrations were quite understanding when it came to minor celebrities in their classrooms. They still lumped her with the homework, though. She supposed their understanding only went so far; they were still teachers at the end of the day.

"Yes~!" Minako hissed happily as the jeans finally, albeit roughly, slid over her rump into place. Instinctively she looked at her peers, Junko and Emi, to share her bliss and her grin, but the most she got was an irked frown from Junko. Sometimes she forgot-no friends here.

Once she and the other girls had finished their wardrobe change, Minako opened the van's rear doors and stepped out onto the busy street in the heart of Shibuya. Pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk had been blocked for Chihiro Magazine's shoot, but they'd be put out only for as long as it took Mr. Kon, the photographer, to obtain the shots he was looking for. His entourage-which included Minako, the girl supposed-relocated frequently. It was to get a different slice of Tokyo backdrop in the photos, the Senshi of Beauty suspected, although it had the added benefit of shaking off any nosy onlookers, and the rare, but sadly real, outright leering pervert. Some guys had no lives.

Setsuna was there when Minako emerged. Waiting for her. Still babysitting her. The woman didn't need to be at these photoshoots. It was her label being promoted, but how many designers attended every fashion shoot featuring their clothing line? Possibly Setsuna saw it as a managerial duty, since she was sort of Minako's de facto manager-the Outer Senshi only showed her face at the shoots the blonde took part in, as far as the girl knew. That still didn't clear the woman of babysitting.

"Everything you imagined?" Minako asked absently as Setsuna approached. Junko and Emi directed cold looks over their shoulders at the Senshi of Love as they skirted around her, beyond the sight of her green haired benefactor. The same label was stitched to the clothes on the other girls' backs, but Timeless's reticent designer didn't appraise them as she did Minako; didn't give them the close attention the woman denied to nearly everything else in the business... everything else but Minako. Minako wondered what they thought. Maybe they thought she was sleeping with Setsuna or something to get ahead. It was cause to grin-they wouldn't be too wrong.

Setsuna smiled; one of her honest smiles, not the faint enigmatic curve to her lips she was prone to, like she knew a secret nobody else did, or the melancholy ghost of a smile when that secret was a burden. She brushed imaginary fluff from Minako's shoulders, and then smoothed the lapels of the girl's black jacket between her fingers. Minako thought she'd leave it at that, but finally the Guardian of Time's eyes found hers. "And more," Setsuna said. "None of my designs do you justice. I suppose I could see it as a challenge, but... some goals remain too lofty, even now."

Minako smiled softly, graciously, but looked away while her cheeks darkened beyond the shade of her makeup. Setsuna could be a charmer whenever she deigned to comment. Before getting to know her the blonde had thought the woman the epitome of a cold fish. Rei had said otherwise, but it had taken actually experiencing Setsuna's flirts for Minako to take another look at her preconception. Quickly, after several more outings with Time's Keeper, she had rid herself of it entirely. The Senshi of Love usually wasn't wrong about people's hearts; however concerning a heart as guarded as Setsuna's, she should be allowed her mistake.

Still, all the sweet talk in the world didn't excuse Setsuna from her constant coddling. It wasn't as if Minako didn't like Setsuna's presence, or the reassurance it afforded; far from it; but... The girl didn't really know. She wanted... to make it on her own, she wanted the other models not to see her and see *Setsuna*, see favouritism. She wanted...

Minako sighed quietly and looked back at the Outer Senshi-at the woman. Setsuna was older than her, by appearance a good several years older, though the truth would boggle the average mind; any that didn't belong to a Sailor Senshi or their allies that was. Minako could never forget that. Setsuna's perfume, her clothing, her demeanour, her interests and aversions; everything spoke of an aged heart. Age shouldn't matter in love if the hearts involved were mature enough... and Setsuna's didn't to Minako. It would be no small affront to the blonde's station if it did; or perhaps it *was* her station that made her feel so? In any case, Minako knew Setsuna's heart now, knew it well... and that therein was the problem.

Why was it that anybody Minako was even slightly interested in was invariably interested in someone *other* than her? They called her beautiful, personable, a real catch... but they never told her what she really wanted to hear. She'd known it from the very beginning with Setsuna, and yet she hadn't stopped their slide towards intimacy. The blonde hadn't planned it. It had been cake in a patisserie one day, then ice cream in a parlour another, then lunch at a café, and then more lunches... and then dinner at a restaurant. Mamoru and Motoki had gotten in on their get-togethers at some stage, so Minako and Setsuna could make-believe that it hadn't been dates they'd been going on.

But that's what it had been from the start, the very day after the world was saved and Usagi and Rei had become two hearts as one. Minako had known it, and she was positive Setsuna had known it also. They had been the last two unattached Sailor Senshi. When they'd finally crossed their flimsy, indistinct threshold keeping them from evolving to 'something' more than friends, it hadn't been sudden. The Inner and Outer Senshi had... eased into each other, like it was all but expected of them. Maybe they'd both thought it had been destiny; that they wouldn't really have to do anything; that Fate would do the work for them and make it so.

It hadn't happened. It hadn't been love, it had been-it *was*-two lonely people finding some measure of solace in each other. At least that was how Minako felt. If Setsuna felt differently, then there were facets of her heart the Senshi of Love had yet to plumb after all. Solace had been okay, however. It had been something. It had been enough. It had been what Minako had wanted... it had been all she had expected. Setsuna still loved *her*. The woman must have realised it was hopeless now and was trying to let her feelings go, but that was one part of her heart Minako definitely had no trouble deciphering. It was *Rei* that she desired. It was Rei who was in the back of her mind when she was with Minako.

It had been alright. The Senshi of Love and Beauty had been used to it. She wondered though if she still was. But it was *something*, wasn't it? It was better than being alone-truly alone. How many people on this earth wound up with their soulmate anyway? It was unrealistic. Maybe some people didn't have a soulmate. It was alright.

It was alright.

"They're waiting for me."

Setsuna released the blonde's lapels and stood aside, offering her a final supportive smile. Minako could read other people's hearts... but there was no mirror for her to see into her own.

The hair and makeup artists shot Minako sidelong glances as she took her place beside Emi and Junko on the sidewalk in front of some random storefront, assessing if she'd mussed her appearance somehow, or if Setsuna had. They needn't have been concerned. Being a beautiful doll was what Minako was good at.

Minako flashed her grin and flexed her hips; perfectly malleable to Mr. Kon's urgings while his camera clicked excitedly; her mind barely with her body. She did as she was directed; she did what was expected of her-she was the Senshi of Beauty, dedicated leader of the Moon Princess's bodyguard… it was as easy as breathing.

Setsuna looked on, arms folded, her expression that of a proud parent. She meant well, but deep down it wasn't what Minako hoped to see upon her face. Yet every time the girl peeked in her direction, whether at this afternoon's shoot or every one preceding it, the look was the same. The blonde tried not to see the woman standing there anymore.

What Minako did see was a taxi pulling up alongside the magazine photography crew's small fleet of vehicles at the curb, spitting out a short balding man in a crinkled suit, suitcase in one hand and handkerchief in the other; the latter mopping up the sweat glistening on his forehead. Hurriedly he attempted to straighten up, as though brushing his dishevelled clothes with the back of his hand could iron out the wrinkles. Somehow satisfied, or having wisely given up, the man stuffed his handkerchief in a pocket and then adopted a calm gait as he walked among the crew, though his darting eyes told a different story. For a time they lingered on Minako, and he seemed relieved at the sight of her. The Inner Senshi wondered if he was another pervert. The magazine's staff wouldn't permit him to roam unchallenged for long if that were true.

Mr. Kon lowered his camera and his head, fiddling with the back of the device. "Nicely done, girls," he said, though his compliment would have come off better if he'd actually looked at his models. "Alright, pack it up!" the photographer then ordered in a louder voice. "We're moving on to location five, people. Location five."

Emi and Junko removed themselves from Minako's presence quickly and wordlessly, as though they couldn't stand breathing the same air as her unless instructed to. The blonde had a sardonic half-smile for their backs. Those girls should really lighten up.

"Minako."

Minako turned her attention to Setsuna's approach, and raised her eyebrows when she saw that the Guardian of Time was accompanied by the little balding man.

"Minako, this is Mr. Kouzou Katsuyori, of Starlight Talent. He's interested in representing you," Setsuna said while the man bowed keenly, all but doubled over, a business card held out in both hands for Minako to take.

"Oh yeah?" the teenager droned absentmindedly while she accepted the card with just as much interest, getting distracted by the magazine crew dismantling equipment and wheeling things around on trolleys over Setsuna and the man's shoulders. They worked so fast! She was aware of the Outer Senshi favouring her with a slight frown; however Minako wasn't really paying attention to her either.

"Ah, yes, well, w-we're not a *big* company per se, and, um, you'd be our first clien- ah, first high profile client-" he paused a second to pull out his handkerchief, frantically wiping at his brow again, "-but I can promise you we'll bend over backwards for your sake, Ms. Aino! We'll dedicate every resource our company has to *your* future! Everyone on our staff lives for you!" He dropped into another abrupt bow and Minako got the impression of a man grovelling before her, but mainly she became fascinated by the fact she could almost see her reflection in his shiny bald pate, surrounded by a corona of wispy black hair.

"Sure, whatever, Mr…" Minako's brow knitted as she tried to recall his name. Katsu…? "…'Kats'," the Senshi of Love and Beauty opted to settle on. "Let's, um, aim for the horizon and…." She scratched the back of her head uncomfortably, looking off into the empty air. "…Chase… our dreams…?"

Minako heard Setsuna sigh.

"Ohh! Thank you~!" Mr. Kats cried, bowing deeper. "We won't let you down! I swear it! CMs! Dramas! *Movies*~! We'll guide you all the way!" He raised his head only to bow again, and then again, his gratitude vast and unending. Minako thought she'd glimpsed tears in his eyes.

The Guardian Senshi sheepishly returned the bows, though they were nowhere near as deep or as enthusiastic, the girl mostly bobbing her head and shoulders-people were starting to look. He seemed like a nice enough guy though. However, it hadn't been Mr. Kats or his stuttered spiel that had convinced Minako to let him and his company manage her. Setsuna had brought him to her-that said more than any business portfolio or sales pitch could. Time's Keeper wouldn't have introduced the blonde to a dud talent agency. Minako's future must be brighter with Starlight Talent's assistance, and once she'd figured that out, that's all the girl had needed to make her choice.

Mr. Kats turned his bows to Setsuna; declaring how grateful he was to the fashion designer for giving him and his beleaguered company this opportunity; the green haired woman as cordial if a lot less awkward than Minako in accepting them. His appreciation was well-placed despite it being rather overwhelming-even without the knowledge of Setsuna's real occupation, he had to have realised Starlight Talent's future too would be brighter with the Senshi of Beauty on their client list.

"Wardrobe change, Minako," one of the magazine's staff members called to the blonde, beckoning her to come to the van, the rear doors open and waiting.

"Duty calls," Minako quipped, leaving behind Setsuna to deal with Mr. Kats and his bowing.

"You can change while we're on the road," the crew member said, the young woman smiling at Minako as though it were nothing.

Minako sighed and looked inside the van where Junko and Emi's sullen faces looked back at her. She squeezed Mr. Kats' business card in her hand. Her future better get brighter really quickly.

* * *

"Rin, Pyo, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!"

Rei flawlessly flashed through the nine hand postures with each syllable she uttered, the Kuji-in familiar to her lips and her fingers from the years she'd devoted to serving at the Hikawa Jinja as a miko. The fire she was kneeling in front of didn't appear to change once she'd fallen silent, but she hadn't expected it to; reciting the Nine Syllable Seals was more to focus herself than to inspire something divine from the flames. Rei stared into the glow; beyond the cavorting tendrils, beyond the myriad shades of reds and oranges and yellows; unblinking. Wood cracked under the heat, and embers floated up into the air, dancing like fireflies in the room's shadows. Rei's eyes reflected everything, but they *saw* something else; something deeper in the flames and burning. There was divinity there, as there was in all of nature's bounty, if you knew how to look for it. There were shapes in the flames that spoke to her mind's eye. They brought emotions with them, feelings of what was, and what might be. It was a language difficult to fathom; a language of the spirit; but Rei was always willing to listen. Her eyes relaxed, slowly drifting closed-

"Umm, should I do that too? The mantra, and the thing with your hands?"

Rei blinked. "Uhh… no… you probably aren't ready for that," the miko hoarsely replied, somewhat disorientated.

Usagi nodded solemnly and shuffled a bit closer to Rei, arranged on her knees on the hard wooden floor as the Fire Senshi was. Her outfit mimicked Rei's as well; white uwagi and red hibakama; the traditional garb of a miko, as provided by her Disguise Pen. It likely made the blonde feel more the part.

It was all for Usagi's 'training'. She'd wanted to learn what it was to be a miko, and Rei was willing to teach… for as long as the odango atama's interest persisted. Busywork around the jinja was surely not Usagi's thing, and with no upcoming festivals a Fire Reading was all that had come to Rei's mind to possibly slake her girlfriend's suspiciously sudden curiosity. The raven-haired girl doubted that her Princess would see the flames as she did-fire was Rei's element, her namesake, and what's more she had a natural affinity to the spiritual medium; although between the two she wasn't certain if it was because of her command of flames that she could read them well also, or if it was an innate ability distinct from her role as the Senshi of Fire and Passion-but there was no harm in letting Usagi try. Rei hoped she wouldn't be disappointed if her efforts proved fruitless.

The room was empty but for the Senshi and her Princess, it dedicated to the Fire, and the only light in the windowless surrounds was what was gifted by the flames. Long shadows abounded, cast high upon the walls up to the ceiling, the pair of girls made into monsters by their silhouettes. And of course there was heat, unavoidable from sitting so close to such a roaring fire, yet while Rei felt it, it wasn't uncomfortable. Indeed, it felt natural. It felt like home.

Rei took a deep breath and let it go slowly. "Try to relax," she instructed her blonde pupil. "Keep your breathing calm and steady… natural. In through your nose and out through your mouth. There's nothing else except the Fire. Feel its touch on your skin, how its warmth envelopes you…."

The miko looked sidelong at Usagi and saw that the girl had closed her eyes. "Usagi, keep your eyes open. You have to *see*."

Usagi batted her clueless blue gaze at Rei. "But aren't we meditating?"

"Yes, but it's…. We're not there yet," the Senshi of Fire tried to explain. It was surprising her how instinctual reading the Fire was to her now that she had to describe the method to someone else. It was mostly feelings, sensation; a *knowing*. It could be she was simply not a very good teacher.

"Look at how the flames move," Rei continued softly, staring at the Fire herself again. "As though they have a will. Give yourself over to their will. Let yourself see what they're trying to show."

Her own voice was beginning to lull Rei back into the Fire's glow. She kept talking; however she was unsure of what she was saying. It could have been nonsense; it could have been the answers to the mysteries of the universe-she could no longer hear. She could only *see*, the reds and oranges and yellows, the patterns they formed, the images the flames tried to burn into her mind. The miko's eyes had shut, yet the glow remained on the backs of her eyelids, swirls in the darkness, and somehow the girl could see sense in them. There was dread, aching despair, and anger. *Rage*. She could envision stone, a coarse rock, jagged and sharp. It was green, and mottled by white. It was… familiar. It felt like-

"Rei, it's too hot~!"

Rei gasped, abruptly sucking in air as if she was frantic for it. She turned her head to Usagi, who was looking at her while anxiously pulling at the collar of her uwagi, flapping it about to cool herself. Some of her bangs had stuck to perspiration on her forehead, and her cheeks were flushed. It took a second for Rei to realise that she herself was in no better condition, with sweat dripping down her face and slicking her skin underneath her clothes.

"And I can't feel my legs anymore!" Usagi whined, squirming to and fro where she was kneeling. Eventually she flopped over onto one outstretched arm, and extracted her apparently deadened legs from underneath her, groaning the whole time. "We've been sitting here for ages, just staring! My eyes are going to fry in their sockets! Ugh, it's so *hot*!" She sprawled out on her back, clamping her hands over her apparently smoking eyes.

Rei's breathing gradually got under control, and she wiped her face with a baggy sleeve. What had been ages for Usagi had been a mere moment for the miko. She wondered if it had been her girlfriend's first protest that had awakened her from her trance, or if the blonde had been complaining for a while to deaf ears.

"So I take it you didn't see anything special?" Rei said, smirking, though her mind was elsewhere, still partly immersed in the flames. She'd had many visions in front of the Fire in her time as a miko, however she could count on one hand how many she'd been able to interpret clearly before hindsight had given all the answers after the fact... and too late to be helpful. Nevertheless, a glimpse of precognition was better than none at all, Rei supposed. She'd have to think on this latest vision, dissect it in her mind, and put to use anything that could be reaped from it. She wished the Gods wouldn't dabble so often in vagaries.

Usagi peeked through splayed fingers at the Fire Senshi, pouting up at her. "I just saw you zoning out. How do I know when to close my eyes like you did?"

Rei smiled at her love's naivety, and shook her head. "Another time. Let's call it quits today." The miko got to her feet and reached a hand down to her prostrate Princess. "You lasted this long. For a beginner that's something." She winked, hoping that she was being encouraging.

"Thanks, Sensei!" Usagi beamed as she grabbed Rei's hand, and the Senshi of Passion hoisted the blonde to her feet.

Usagi was a bit wobbly as she walked out of the Fire Reading room, but Rei was there for her to hold onto. The miko naturally didn't mind. She had to admit it was kind of fun sharing this aspect of her life with the person who meant the most to her. Perhaps Rei should be a little more grateful of Usagi's interest, wherever it had stemmed from. Or maybe Rei was just a sucker for doing anything at all with her Princess.

"You should think about meditating in there in your underwear," Usagi said as they walked together down one of the Hikawa Jinja's long hallways, the blonde fanning herself with the hand not clutching Rei's arm. "Or naked! You could bring in a bucket of water, and stones, and turn it into a steam room sometimes! We could invite everyone!"

Rei resisted the urge to rub her temples. One of the most sacred rooms in the jinja converted into a sauna? "I think the heat has affected your brain, odango atama," Rei dryly remarked to frowns from Usagi. "You go on ahead; I'll get us something to cool down." Naked? Maybe it was worth considering if Usagi's miko lessons continued...

Rei detoured to the kitchen while Usagi tottered off to the raven-haired teen's room, and picked up a couple of bottles of water from the fridge. Her Grandpa was there making a start on dinner, a chopping board on the counter laden with diced vegetables. Bald as an egg and short enough to require a stool to reach the kitchen top, he was the Hikawa Jinja's presiding priest and a kindly old man with a mischievous streak that sometimes saw him get carried away... and into trouble. While routinely a source of embarrassment, he was who Rei pictured when she thought of family. He was her grandfather on her maternal side, and deep down had the same gentle heart and benevolent soul Rei recalled her mother having had.

Rei's Grandpa said nothing, but he favoured his granddaughter with that look he got when Usagi was around; that knowing grin. Rei was pokerfaced throughout her time in the kitchen. She loved him dearly, but he could be so irritating. He wouldn't have been grinning like that if he knew she'd been out at a club late yesterday night. Having an outdoors entrance to her room was a godsend, and came in handy for more than just Sailor Senshi responsibilities.

Rei heard her TV spit out inanity and drivel as she neared her room, the discord glaring amid the sedate surrounds of Hikawa Jinja's shoji screens, wooden beams, and tatami mats. You could always tell when Usagi was here. Rei didn't use the television much herself, but she kept it on her mantelpiece for her love. The odango atama spoke of the miko's room as an entertainment abyss, and that TV being her lifeline. Rei wondered if she should be hurt; she believed that she and Usagi got up to many engrossing activities in that room... quite frequently. Maybe she should try harder to entertain.

Rei wore a rakish grin on her face as she entered her room, naughty thoughts not so naughty or base when they were her own. The inspiration of those thoughts lazed on a cushion, her uwagi and hibakama returned to whatever ethereal realm her Disguise Pen had summoned them from, her school uniform back in place. Usagi didn't look up from the TV when Rei passed her one of the bottled waters, but she did after cracking open the cap and taking a sip.

"Rei~? Didn't you have any soda? Something with *flavour*?"

Rei sighed and stood there with her hands on her hips a moment, her face all disapproval now. However her prior thoughts won out in the end, and she bent down to smooch her lips against Usagi's, her tongue dipping between an instant. "Will that do?" the Senshi of Passion asked softly.

Usagi sat there in an apparent stupor, her eyes half-lidded and a faint smile on her face... then suddenly frowned. "That's not going to *last*, Rei!"

Rei plopped herself down on a cushion beside her troublesome lover. "I can keep them coming if you'd like," she deadpanned, opening her own water and chugging down several gulps. Being before the Fire was draining.

Usagi had another sour look for Rei before thirst prevailed and she drank just as deeply. Still, she seemed to contemplate the offer.

"If the Fire's uncomfortable for you, there are some other duties you can try," Rei said casually, though the sly turn of her mouth should have been a warning for the blonde odango atama.

"Oh?"

"Mm. There are the floors to polish, the grounds to sweep..." Rei grinned at Usagi, unable to maintain a straight face any longer. "I have a spare broom."

Usagi looked horrified for a second, then glowered at the miko as the penny dropped. "I wouldn't want to put *you* out of a job!" she huffed, turning her head away haughtily from the raven-haired girl, and sipping at her water as though it were fine wine. Teasing Usagi never got old.

Water in one hand and remote in the other, Usagi started flipping through channels, intent on the TV. The blonde nattered on about whatever program happened to appear on screen, and regularly went off on tangents featuring the shows she liked or hated, often bemoaning that none of the former were on right now. Meanwhile Rei was intent on Usagi, the television possessing nothing that could amuse and enthral her better than the one she loved. She did listen to her Princess's ramblings, however not so much the words but the sound of the other girl's voice, a pleasure for her ears. It was strange how such a simple, everyday moment could grant Rei such contentment. If her life from now on consisted of nothing else; just one mundane moment with Usagi rolled into the next; it would be a blissful life in Rei's eyes.

"I love you," Rei said suddenly, the declaration enticed from her lips before she knew it, yet it felt as normal as speaking the other girl's name.

Usagi blinked and looked at Rei, hushed just as abruptly. She seemed bemused but touched, gazing at the Senshi of Passion with affectionate blue eyes. "I love you too, Rei," she said, sounding somewhat taken aback. She reached over and stroked her fingers through Rei's dark hair, quietly regarding the miko's features with a small smile. The hand then dropped to Rei's chest, palm over her heart for a second, before feeling the open collar of her uwagi between a thumb and finger contemplatively. "I think I know what outfit I'd like you to wear for me. I mean for..."

Usagi trailed off shyly, but Rei caught on quick. It was a pretty run of the mill choice considering Rei probably wore her miko attire as often as she did her school uniform, but perhaps that was the appeal to Usagi. Nothing too wild... to start with. Rei mused whether there might be an old fantasy behind the pick-the idea of Usagi watching her sweep the jinja's courtyard, imagining... 'things'... in that blonde head of hers; things that had her best friend in a starring role and probably completely devoid of decency, was a giddy one. Maybe her Princess's fantasising went even further back, and had begun not long after they'd just met? Now Rei was clearly fantasising, but there was no question it had her feverish.

"You have demons that need exorcising?" Rei asked with theatrical dryness.

"Only the naughty sort," Usagi replied, then bit her bottom lip as a cheesy grin threatened to bust out.

"My speciality. I know of many, *many* *intensive* rituals to cure you of those," Rei said, nodding sagely afterwards with folded arms. "But I warn you, it's only going to get worse before it gets better... a *lot* worse!" She suddenly winked and licked her upper lip sensuously.

"I'll leave myself in your hands, Sensei! And, um, whatever else..." Usagi blushed, but there was no stopping that impish grin.

Rei had a grin to match now, and took her girlfriend in her arms, lowering the both of them onto the tatami mats, the raven-haired girl on top of the blonde. Rei bit Usagi's lower lip gently, sucking it into her mouth for a moment before releasing it with a smack that had the pair gasping and giggling anxiously afterwards. The Senshi of Passion dove into her lover's neck without mercy, kissing as often as she sucked on the sweet-tasting skin, hard enough to leave marks. Usagi moaned and writhed beneath her, pain and pleasure a mixture, but she had experienced this kind of lust from Rei in the past. They both enjoyed it.

"R-Rei, that guy has the... the s-same name as you," Usagi said, labouring to get the words out.

"Mmm?" Rei mumbled as she seized her Princess's earlobe in her mouth, then let it slide wetly free.

"Takashi Hino."

Rei looked up at the television-and then cursed that she had. A news program was being broadcast, with some political turmoil underway that warranted journalists seeking the opinion of an influential Diet member-that just happened to be her father.

"Since when are you interested in politics," Rei murmured without inflection as she sat up. The sight of *him* was poison to her mood. "Turn that off."

Usagi sat up as well, looking at the miko soberly. If the name hadn't been enough then Rei's shift in temperament had to have done it. But Rei didn't talk about her father. Ever, if she could help it. Not even to her best friend and girlfriend. He wasn't part of her life. He was as dead as her mother was.

"He... seems important," Usagi commented cautiously, glancing at the TV.

"Yeah," Rei mumbled, keeping her eyes away from the television screen. It was bad enough his voice was in her room. "He's a real big shot."

Awkward silence fell between the girls. It seemed Rei's father could even spoil her relationship with Usagi, and he wasn't even here. Rei couldn't believe they shared the same blood.

Usagi's arms slowly went around Rei, tight and encompassing. The raven-haired teenager turned her head to see the blonde peering up at her, her chin resting on one of the miko's shoulders. Rei mustered a smile for her and laid a hand over one of hers. Rei should forget him. She shouldn't allow her father to taint the joy she had without him. She had a family that mattered, she had friends-she had Usagi. Rei was happy.

"Where were we...?" Rei smirked, her amethyst gaze smouldering.

"'...the latest missing person to be reported. In the past two weeks, four young people, claimed by their friends and family to be frequent visitors of the district's clubbing scene, have not been seen since. Maki Toda's disappearance brings the count to five. Police say the cases are unrelated, and are often the result of a night's overindulgence rather than foul play. The entertainment world was rocked today, when...'"

Rei scowled, no longer seeing the television. She had been there, in Roppongi, at the club Maki Toda had last been seen at. It could have been a coincidence. It might be nothing like the police had said; simply a young woman with a hangover sleeping it off somewhere unbeknownst to an overprotective family. Or it could be a human menace; a 'natural' evil if there was such a disease. It would be a matter for the metropolitan authorities then. However the Senshi of Fire was aware that she was kidding herself if she thought she would stand aside and not act in the face of a malevolence spawned by humanity if given the opportunity.

"Rei?"

Or... Rei's instincts could be correct. She'd have to check it out. Her conscience wouldn't leave it alone otherwise. Terrific. It meant late nights until she was satisfied. Sneaking out of the Hikawa Jinja, sneaking back in, deceiving her good-natured Grandpa... Just great. If there was an evil out there of the otherworldly breed, it would taste the ire it had wrought. It would taste fire. It would *burn* in-

Rei grimaced and jerked awkwardly as something poked under her ribs into her side.

"You're thinking something!"

"What?" Rei said, looking at Usagi's displeased visage, confused.

"Those missing people. I know what you're up to-you're thinking of going back there!"

"I was-"

"*No*, Rei! *No*!" the blonde exclaimed, sounding half-angry and half-agonised. "Whenever you go off by yourself, you come back to me beat up and bleeding everywhere!" She glared into the Fire Senshi's eyes and then jammed her fingers into the girl's side again.

"Ow! Usagi, that *hurts*!" Rei cried, twisting aside. 'Beat up and bleeding everywhere'? The odango atama made it sound like she was an inept fighter. Rei didn't get hurt *that* much.

"It'll hurt more if I'm not there to look after you!" The riled blonde stood up, a figure of staunch disapproval looming over the miko. "You forget that we're a team, Rei-you, me, and everyone else."

Look after her? It was meant to be the other way around! "It's probably nothing though..." Rei said, hastily attempting to underplay her gut feeling about the missing people. She would keep her love out of danger whenever she could. Alone, with Usagi safe in her bed under the roof of her own house, was how Rei preferred it.

Usagi cocked her head to one side and regarded Rei through narrowed eyes, as though she didn't believe the other girl for an instant. "I've done this sort of thing before, you know. I was investigating the weird and creepy *loooong* before I even met you."

"You had Ami with you," Rei pointed out dryly.

"Before Ami even!" Usagi insisted, so adamant Rei speculated that foot stamping was imminent. "Come on, it'll be great!" the blonde went on, taken to whining now. "We could invite Naru! I don't think she's been to a club before! She can bring Umino, and it'll be like a double date! We can dance, and-"

"It's meant to be an investigation," Rei intoned flatly. "Look, Usagi. It's nothing. Really," the Senshi of Fire maintained, shrugging. "It'll be a waste of time, and you'll probably get in trouble with your parents for being out so late. I'll check it out by myself and if I find anything... I'll come get you... and we can bring everyone else to help, as well." It wasn't a lie. Rei would come get her Princess *after* anything untoward was ash.

"Rei..." Usagi sighed, her eyes softening. "I'm the leader." She stabbed an outstretched finger at the other girl on the floor, suddenly incensed again. "You have to do as I say!"

It was Rei's turn to sigh. Pulling rank? That was pretty low. Unfortunately, it was also pretty effective. Defying Usagi, outright defying her *Princess*, was a bold move, and not something Rei had considered since her early days as a Sailor Senshi. Rei couldn't do it. Not over this potentially trivial affair.

The Senshi of Fire and Passion sighed again. Checkmate.

Rei lowered her gaze. "Yes, my Princess," she said quietly.

Usagi beamed; radiant in her triumph. It compelled a smile from Rei. Perhaps it was for the best-it was heartwarming beholding her delight.

"Right, now get me that soda!" the blonde commanded, pointing imperiously once again at the miko at her feet.

A raven eyebrow twitched, but nothing more. "I think I will serve in a *different* way, your Highness," Rei said instead, her words with a hint of allure and her expression smoky, amethyst eyes enticing. She sat up onto her knees before her girlfriend, and touched her fingertips to the blonde's ankles. Slowly, lightly, she drew her fingers higher on Usagi's legs, her hands disappearing under the other girl's school skirt. Usagi watched on with big eyes, stiff as a board, and Rei could feel goosebumps on the flesh beneath her fingertips. "If you remember, I still have an exorcism to complete..." Her hands reappeared at the hem of her Princess's skirt after a moment, with something pink and elastic stretched between them.

Rei smirked smugly to herself when she saw Usagi swallow nervously and turn as pink as her underwear. She left her lover's panties pooling around her ankles, and soon her skirt followed. The raven-haired girl stayed on her knees and Usagi remained on her feet... or tried to. Rei didn't make standing before her easy whatsoever, but she had a feeling her Princess appreciated the challenge.

At least the investigation wouldn't be boring with Usagi in tow, however now Rei really hoped there was nothing out there in the darkness, preying on the helpless and unwary. But if there was, if there was an evil, then regardless of its potency, regardless of its might, Usagi wouldn't be harmed by it.

Because there would be a fire in the darkness. Because Rei would be there.

* * *

To be continued...

Author's ramblings:

I was going to have a hentai scene between Ami and Makoto for their first ever get together, but I decided it would have been gratuitous and added nothing but smut. Not always a bad thing, but... I'll save it for another time.

Also, the Ami/Makoto relationship and how *Makoto* feels about it will come in a later chapter. I worry that their get together was too contrived, like, Ami says "I love you" and Makoto is there going "Oh, you know what? I love you too! How about that?", you know? Hopefully it doesn't seem like that, but a future chapter will have Makoto's thoughts that should improve realism/believability.

Something else to note is that whenever Rei mentions the 'Gods', she is referring to the Kami. The Kami are like the spirits in natural things, like stuff in nature. Trees, rocks, animals, the Sun is a major one, etc etc.

Some action next chapter.


	5. Anything But Ordinary

Past Lives - By Kirika

* * *

The fourth chapter. This time a bit of a Minako chapter.

- Kirika

* * *

Chapter 4 - Anything But Ordinary

The chimes sounded; their melody as pleasant as what they signalled-that the prison also known as school was over for another day. It was as though everyone sighed in relief at once-right before the scramble to flee these hellish surroundings suddenly began with gusto. Minako was right there with her classmates, quickly shoving her books and stationery into her bag. Behind her she heard Usagi groan loudly-she had cleanup duty and thus was forsaken by all except those similarly cursed. Minako felt for her fellow blonde, but it was everyone for themselves. Anyway, Ami would be with the Princess-the Senshi of Water had been handpicked to suffer here longer as well. Knowing Ami though, she probably thought nothing of it.

Minako jammed a Maths textbook violently into her schoolbag, bending it so it would finally fit, and then joined the crush in the hallway outside the classroom, being swept along with it. Not everybody was heading home; some had club activities. 'Some' just weren't smart. The 'Going Home' club was the best club of all; who on earth wanted to stay *longer* at school? Nerds and idiots, the Senshi of Beauty supposed. Well she was neither nerd nor idiot. Besides, she had somewhere to be.

The crowd dispersed somewhat when Minako reached the ground floor, though if it had remained thick she still would have spotted Makoto waiting at the foot of the stairs. The brunette's height wasn't unique in Juuban High School unlike it had been in Junior High, but she still stood head and shoulders above most of the girls, and a lot of the boys, too. Plus she always waited in the same place every day once class had been let out, that hopeful expression plastered on her face. It didn't brighten for Minako-only Ami's appearance could do that. Makoto waited not for her friend, but for her girlfriend. Minako showing up solo was probably a disappointment.

The Senshi of Love brushed past a befuddled Makoto and waved an arm over her head as she walked on. "She has cleanup today~!" the cavalier blonde called and farewelled at the same time.

Makoto would rush to the classroom of course, barrel up those stairs, thinking nothing of spending more time in school-where Ami went Makoto followed. And why not. It was only natural. If Rei were here, she would be quick to go where Usagi was too, and not a second thought given. That was love, that craving to be near your special person.

Minako was happy for her friends; however the smile she wore was bittersweet. She wasn't a part of their happiness. She could have lingered as well, lending a hand at dusting and sweeping, the consummate friend-but just a friend. It was crowded up there in the classroom; no place for just a friend. Rei wasn't here, yet she still had a presence even if Usagi was by herself. You thought of one and you thought of the other. It was the same with Makoto and Ami. The couples were linked, as one, like two planets in orbit around each other, and in a universe all of their own. No one could breach that bond; it could only be understood by people similarly tied. Their hearts sang, but Minako didn't know the tune and would only foul it if she tried to join in. She was doing her friends a service giving them their space. She was happy for them, even though she couldn't be happy with them.

Minako opened her shoe locker and swapped her indoor footwear for her outdoor pair. She couldn't help looking over along the row of lockers to the far wall, to the memorial that her classmates walked past without so much as a glance. Maybe it was too deep for them; something a bit too weighty for a mere high schooler. Or perhaps life simply moves on. It had been months ago now when youma had stalked the halls of Juuban High School, killing indiscriminately, hoping that a Sailor Senshi became one of the victims. Or at least that was Minako's theory; she and her friends hadn't found out the 'why' behind the slaughter. They'd never know, most likely. They'd never know why so many innocent people had had to die. Or maybe, that it might be because of them and what they were, *who* they were, they didn't want to find out for sure to save themselves the guilt. But Minako probably wasn't the only one who felt it anyway, someplace deep inside. Someplace, where she didn't have to acknowledge it.

There used to be photos and tributes on that wall; cards with heartfelt messages to the victims, flowers changed regularly dedicated to their memory, and students who stopped to say short prayers for the dead and gone. Now just the plaque inscribed with the names of the deceased persisted. People force themselves to forget, life moves on-it was inevitable; the world keeps turning, and life was for the living. Minako couldn't forget so easily, however. She had been there. In the chaos no one had noticed Minako Aino's disappearance or where Sailor Venus had materialised from, but if her identity had become public it wouldn't have mattered. It was the lives that had mattered. It was what Sailor Venus did. She had fought, she had done what she could; she had made a difference. But people had still died. Too many people. To those she had defended it was perhaps a victory, however Minako would remember that day as a failure, and a reminder that even heroes could falter.

Minako often wondered what the official explanation was for the carnage; what story had been fed to the sobbing families of the victims, or how any of the survivors had rationalised the otherworldly horrors they had seen. The media hadn't picked up the event, and no one had precisely mentioned what had taken place beyond the deaths. Plenty of mourning, yet no answers. It was probably for the better; however it left the blonde a little disconcerted. Ami had remorselessly shot down any conspiracy theories Minako, with Usagi's help, had dreamt up, but...

Minako abruptly shut her small locker and headed for the school's front doors. The past could be speculated on another time-it certainly wasn't going anywhere.

As Minako walked out of the school gates she heard her name being called in a sweet, soft, but earnest voice. For this friend the Senshi of Beauty did stop, and she looked back over her shoulder to the anticipated sight of Hotaru chasing her down. The blonde waited patiently until the frail girl had caught up to her, and smirked indulgently while the Outer Senshi panted cutely for a few seconds to get her breath back. Hotaru Tomoe was a Sailor Senshi, and the youngest of the present day's Senshi. Yet her age, shy temperament, and skinny body belied her strength-she was also the mightiest of Senshi, capable of delivering an apocalypse to a planet with her powers as the Senshi of Death and Rebirth, Sailor Saturn. Rarely was the Senshi of Silence summoned into battle unless she was truly needed-for one out of sympathy for her youth and introverted nature, and for the other to keep a destructive force in check. There was darkness in Hotaru, and a battle had to be bleak before Minako or Haruka would risk awakening it.

But on any other day Hotaru was a kind and endearing girl, if too timid for her own good.

Minako hadn't been expecting Hotaru, but she could imagine what had brought the Senshi of Rebirth to her-Chibi-Usa. It was the same story every time-something related to the pint-sized Princess had Hotaru an adorable bundle of anxiety once again. And it was Minako, Goddess of Love, whose job it was to forever offer soothing reassurances and wise counsel. Even Hotaru, young as she was, had her own private universe with someone, albeit a rather innocent universe of warm feelings, cute looks, and plenty of blushes-at least from the dark-haired girl. By the sound of it, her pink-haired partner was still clueless of what was in her best friend's heart... and in her own. It caused a lot of fretting on Hotaru's part; made of frequent irrational worries and concerns that she'd somehow ruin things with Chibi-Usa; to the point that Minako questioned whether she should have let the pair sort their feelings out for themselves naturally, instead of baring to Hotaru-in a roundabout way, mind-all she knew of the future Princess's heart.

But it had been during special circumstances. Minako had believed death had been imminent for them both as they'd fought alone together, facing an overwhelming horde. Instead Death had been on Minako's side, and Love had been on Hotaru's. Ever since then the Senshi of Love and the Senshi of Rebirth had been somewhat close, or at least much closer than they'd been before. Matters of life and death had a way of bringing people together.

Now because Minako had been the one to tell her about Chibi-Usa and the future of hugs and kisses and more together that possibly awaited them, the blonde was *the* authority on the Princess and love in general in Hotaru's ingenuous violet eyes. It wasn't entirely inaccurate though, and Minako didn't mind the younger girl's attention. It was nice to be looked up to. That Hotaru came to her for advice over Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna-Outer Senshi themselves and more or less the young girl's parents-was quite flattering. Then again, Minako wasn't the Goddess of Love for nothing!

"Min... Minako..." Hotaru breathed heavily, her voice coming out in spurts and sighs. She must've bolted out of class as soon as school had been over and ran all the way here. Whatever was bothering her must be serious this time, or it was to Hotaru. Juuban Junior High wasn't exactly next door to its high school sister.

"I need to get a taxi," Minako said, smiling still, and gesturing with her head in the direction of the main road a few blocks in the distance.

Hotaru nodded, her dark locks bobbing just above her shoulders. She adopted a demure posture, her schoolbag held neatly in front of her, that anyone watching wouldn't have considered she'd been in a mad dash moments before.

Hotaru walked alongside the Senshi of Beauty silently for a little while, her head down. Love could be your whole world, and when it wasn't turning as planned, that world was rocked to its foundations and suddenly you realised how fragile it was-how swiftly and easily everything could fall apart, with you right there in the middle. It could be frightening. The loss of love was akin to death to many... but you could live without it. You could go on. Hotaru was still young and naive. Only experience would cure her of her fear... but Minako hoped she'd never have to learn.

Minako glanced sidelong at her friend, the girl's uniform taking her back to a time when some of her other friends had worn the same uniform. It hadn't been any easier in those days. The lessons of love had been learnt even then. She'd loved, she'd lost, and deep down she wondered if she'd ever been young and naive like Hotaru. Maybe before awakening; before the memories; before the battles-before the duty. That aspect of her still existed in every bubbly grin and upbeat comment; but was it really her? Or was it something she clung to from days of old; simpler days; days long gone. When she smiled, was it inspired by a cheerful spirit, or goaded by the remnant of one to mask what it had become?

"Chibi-Usa... Sh-She talks a lot..." Hotaru began all of sudden, "...about Rei. Before, she didn't like her much, but now it's... different."

"That's not unusual," Minako said, pushing her reverie aside. "Rei is her mother. Uh, father. *Parent*." Perhaps Setsuna might have been the better choice for Hotaru to talk to for this. Timeline stuff caused the blonde's head to ache.

"Mm..." the Outer Senshi hummed uncertainly. "It's so strange. But I'm worried. Rei and I... we... When Chibi-Usa hated her, I didn't like her either. And now..." She turned to Minako, her expression distraught, and her formal demeanour shattered. "What if Rei secretly hates me still? Chibi-Usa's *mama*! I attacked her; we fought each other! I even hurt Usagi! What should I do, Minako?"

Oh boy. "Rei doesn't hate you," Minako said in her best consoling voice. "She never did, really. She's not like that. Usually. I mean, not with her friends!" She turned away and cringed. "Rei doesn't hold a grudge against you," she tried again, her grimace wiped in favour of a supportive smile. "She apologised, didn't she? Everything's forgiven. If anything, she's probably worried *you* hate *her*."

"R-Really?" Hotaru said hopefully, blinking wide eyes at the Senshi of Love. "But... But what if she *hasn't* forgiven me, what if she's just pretending, and she doesn't like me seeing Chibi-Usa?"

"Come on, that, ah, 'spat' between you was months ago," Minako blew off, and prayed she sounded convincing doing so. "Trust me. She's never even mentioned you." She winced again when she saw Hotaru's alarm. "Not that that's a *bad* thing! She certainly doesn't *hate* you."

Hotaru frowned and seemed to digest what Minako had said. "I don't know what to say when Chibi-Usa speaks about Rei," she said softly a few moments later, her head lowered again.

"That's alright," the blonde reassured the younger Senshi. "A lot of times girls just want someone to listen to them." She winked at the other girl. "Like now."

"Ohh..." Hotaru murmured, nodding intently as though Minako were revealing the secrets of the cosmos. "I... I normally like to listen."

"That's great!" Minako grinned. "Chibi-Usa likes to talk, and you like to listen. A perfect match!" That seemed to please Hotaru immensely, and she beamed brightly at the blonde, leaving the Inner Senshi feeling rather pleased as well.

By then the pair had reached the end of the sidewalk and found the main road, where Minako flagged down a passing taxi with some frantic waving and a bit of hopping. "I've got an appointment with my new manager," the Senshi of Beauty explained to Hotaru as the cab halted at the curb, the rear passenger door popping open. As nervous as ever, Mr. Kats had phoned her in the morning to awkwardly arrange the meeting as she was walking to school, though the blonde didn't recall providing him with her mobile number. That was no doubt Setsuna's intervention. If the Guardian of Time happened to be hanging around at the entrance of Starlight Talent's office as well, it wouldn't come as an unexpected sight.

"Oh no! What about Setsuna-mama?" Hotaru exclaimed as she recoiled with her schoolbag lifted up to her chest.

Minako looked over her shoulder at the horrified girl, her face screwing up in bewilderment. "Uhh... what about her?"

"Isn't *she* your manager?"

"No, she's... um... You know, if you hurry back, you might bump into Haruka and Michiru," Minako said with some clumsiness, but it was better than clarifying her relationship with Setsuna when she wasn't really sure what they had herself.

Hotaru shook her head. "Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama aren't in school today." That was right-Minako couldn't remember seeing the Outer Senshi couple in the halls of Juuban High all day. They too knew the joys of escaping class thanks to a celebrity status, and much more often than Minako did. The women probably milked it whenever they could. Lucky. "But I should go and meet Chibi-Usa and Shingo; they're probably waiting for me. Good luck with your appointment, but don't forget about Setsuna-mama. And thank you." The Senshi of Rebirth bowed, prim and polite again.

Minako bowed slightly in return, a lot less formally, and then winked impishly. "Anytime." For a handful of seconds she watched Hotaru walk briskly back the way they had come; back towards Juuban Elementary School; likely with images of Chibi-Usa filling her head. One side of the Senshi of Love's mouth curved into a poignant smile. Minako was grateful for the love around her, despite that she couldn't share in it.

The blonde got into the taxi, the door shutting automatically once she was inside, and she handed the driver Mr. Kats' business card, instructing him to go to the address printed on it. She had expected to be taken to some busy business district lined with skyscrapers; however the trip ended on a normal and sleepy street with a few convenience stores, realtors, and apartment blocks. A rather amateurish placard above a lone doorway marked the dubious entrance to Starlight Talent. Well, Mr. Kats had hinted at being smalltime.

Minako left the cab, and after a steeling breath and a brief mental reassurance that she hadn't made a massive mistake, she ventured through the doorway into the rundown corridor past it. The floor was concrete, and the bare plaster walls lacked any distinction except for being as unremarkable as the floor. Skirting trash and hoping there weren't any creepy-crawlies lurking in the filth to ambush her; Minako followed where the corridor led until she saw another doorway, this one with an actual door. It had a frosted glass window with 'Starlight Talent' printed on it in flaking black block script. It was more than enough of an invitation to get out of the junk-filled hallway and get the meeting over with.

The Senshi of Beauty knocked on the door as she opened it, glad that it was unlocked. She stuck her head uncertainly around it. "Um, hello?"

"Ms. Aino! You're here!"

Behind the door there was life, and the garbage was stacked more orderly. There were desks; there were file cabinets; there were electric fans humming and an ancient television crackling as it struggled to deliver a stable picture. The floor was concrete still, but the walls had bulletin boards and posters sprucing up the grey plaster; posters of popular idols and movies and television shows-probably the wishful thinking of Mr. Kats. It was an office alright, cramped and untidy, but an office. This was the place. If Minako was in the *right* place, however... Didn't offices usually have phones ringing all the time?

The blonde didn't see Setsuna anywhere as Mr. Kats-in a suit, and by the looks of it the same one Minako had seen him in before if her memory was correct-and three other people not so well-dressed hurried over to her, the latter needled into action by sharp mutterings and waves from the balding man. There was a young guy in a t-shirt and jeans, a middle-aged woman who could have passed as a school lunch lady, and a girl who seemed not much older than Minako-the talent agency's staff, the Inner Senshi presumed.

"Y-You look lovely, Ms. Aino!" Mr. Kats fawned as he stood before Minako, his stern manner for his employees abruptly transformed.

"Thanks. But it's just my school uniform," the Senshi of Beauty answered wryly. She glanced around the room. "Is Setsuna, is she...? I mean, is Setsuna Meioh here?"

Mr. Kats appeared confused in addition to being nervous, now. "Uh, no. Should she be?"

Minako shook her head slightly and smiled reassuringly. "No. It doesn't matter." So she was on her own. That was good. She'd wanted this, after all.

The Senshi of Love sighed quietly. Why did she have to start missing Setsuna already?

"I'll take that for you," the young guy said, reaching for Minako's schoolbag. The blonde let it be taken from her grasp with a soft word of thanks.

"Would you like something to drink?" the middle-aged woman asked cheerfully.

"I'm fine," Minako declined. The friendly atmosphere relaxed her, yet she still didn't feel right. Where was Setsuna anyway?

Mr. Kats shooed his gawking staff away with insistent arm gestures and quickly turned his grovelling attention back to Minako. "Let's talk in my office. This way!"

He directed the girl behind a couple of big whiteboards which seemed to have been used to divide the room into several smaller ones. The boards blocked out most of the light from the windows too, making his 'office' a gloomy little nook. A battered brown leather couch slouched near the front of his desk, and once he had slapped off the empty juice bottles and old newspapers, he motioned for Minako to take a seat.

"Now, you've done good work with Timeless; *good* work," he said as he scrounged around on his cluttered desk for something. "But we don't want to confine you, do we?" Drawers scratched open and banged closed. "So I've been making calls, meeting people, calling in favours-and I've gotten you scheduled for some magazine shoots featuring other labels. We have to move you away from Timeless." He looked up and grinned broadly at the Senshi of Beauty, but it was more an anxious showing of teeth. "The more exposure the better!" He blinked, and suddenly looked shaken. "I-I mean; n-n-not that I mean *exposure* exposure-it's all very tasteful! *Some* bikini shots, but that's nothing bad... Ah... where did I put that schedule?" He dashed out of his office, and Minako heard him yelling at his employees to help him behind the whiteboards.

Minako flopped back, sinking into the couch, and blew out a puff of air. More magazine photo spreads was good, she guessed. If they were with other fashion labels she didn't imagine Setsuna would be there. It would be okay, though. It's not like the work would be any different to what she'd done so far under the Senshi of Time's watchful gaze. Minako could look after herself-she'd always been good at doing that.

"Hey."

Minako looked to the opening between the whiteboards and saw the youngest member of Mr. Kats' staff standing there. She was slim and had straight light brown hair just past her shoulders, and was rather pretty but for an unfortunate large nose.

"I'm Akari."

"Minako," the Senshi of Beauty said. "Nice to meet you."

"You're really pretty..." Akari suddenly sighed and picked at a whiteboard's metal frame with a fingernail. "I bet you're starting to reconsider signing with us. Anyone who Mr. Katsuyori can get through our door eventually does."

"No," Minako said as she looked away, shrugging as though she hadn't a care in the world slovenly sprawled there on the couch. "All good so far."

"He does the best he can, though," Akari said, as though she hadn't heard the other girl. "You can count on him. He won't let you down if he can help it." She wandered into the office and after some dithering staring at the walls and the posters there, sat gingerly on the messy desk. "It's been hard on him. He doesn't show it; he's not the type; but he's struggling. First this business and now his brother is missing."

"His brother?" Minako repeated, perking up as she became interested.

"Mm... He fell on hard times. Fired or something, and too old for any corporation to consider hiring him. He ended up living in the park not far from here, with the other homeless. Mr. Katsuyori tried everything he could to get him out of there, but his brother, Eiji, was too prideful, and Mr. Katsuyori is in financial dire straits himself."

Akari picked up a photoframe from amid the desk's clutter, and after looking at it a second, turned it so Minako could see. The Guardian Senshi leaned forward, seeing a man that looked like Mr. Kats but with more hair and the addition of glasses.

"So he's missing?" the blonde pressed.

Akari nodded and replaced the photo. "For three days now. I helped Mr. Katsuyori look, but no one's seen Eiji." Suddenly Akari smiled timidly and blushed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be telling you this. I don't know why I did."

"It's alright." Minako said absently, gazing through the other girl. "Sometimes I have that affect on people."

"I found it!" Mr. Kats happily exclaimed as he popped back into the cosy nook, waving a piece of paper in his hand. "Akari?" he then questioned, seeing the girl there.

"Just getting to know our new client!" Akari squeaked, before hastily excusing herself and leaving her boss and Minako alone.

"Okay, Ms. Aino, here you go! Try not to be late for any of them. I'll be there waiting at each one for you, so don't you worry!"

Minako smiled faintly and took the modelling schedule from her energetic manager. "Call me Minako," she said.

* * *

"Bye, Rei!"

"Rei! Bye-bye!"

"See you tomorrow, Rei!"

Rei nodded civilly to every classmate in her immediate sight who farewelled her as she walked by, until it felt like her head was on a spring. She decided to ignore the rest, despite how ill-mannered it might seem. Somehow she didn't think it would dent her image. Indeed, the gauntlet of well-wishers continued unabated, from her classroom to the hallways, to the academy's grounds and the gates. Not everyone had something to say, but every girl had a particular look for the Fire Senshi and to call it friendly was a gross understatement. She was like a fish in a bowl. The word was out-Rei Hino had a girlfriend; she was 'that way'. But it still felt like a powder keg yet to go off; the fuse was lit and burning down, classmates' inhibitions flittering away a little more each day while it did, and with Rei oblivious to when it would all explode. Mercifully no gushing 'suitorette' had approached her yet, confessing... whatever. There were whispers wherever she went however; behind her back or behind cupped hands; and of course the eyes forever boring into her from every direction, every pair sparkling or outright aflame, the miko's presence setting off a fire inside them. Rei could see and hear everything; their excited scrutiny, their agitated chatter; but she pretended not to while everyone else pretended she couldn't either.

The Senshi of Passion wished the T*A Private Girls' Schools' students would pick someone else to obsess over. What they didn't know was that she was only 'that way' with Usagi. If not for her Princess, Rei wouldn't have bothered with romantic entanglements involving boys *or* girls. Love was too often a flawed concept, and she had no interest in the flawed kind. *True* love; the sort that could shake your world, that could redefine you, that could conquer anything, that ate you up inside and left you hungry, *starving*-that was the only sort she believed in. Why settle for something less, subjecting yourself to a 'love' barely envisioned, devoting yourself to someone you could not devote yourself wholly to. So many relationships Rei had seen were frauds; two people together who kind of liked each other; enough to tolerate one another and sacrifice what was easy to sacrifice. Was that love? Maybe it was for them... but Rei couldn't live like that. All or nothing-the love of her life or an eternity alone. She had seen what a lesser love had inflicted upon her mother... that the feelings only went so far, when love was needed more than ever. In the end Rei's mother had died alone, with a lonely heart. It would have been better had she not opened her heart at all.

Sometimes it couldn't be helped, though. Sometimes someone came along with the key to your heart. And sometimes the love that followed was what you had been waiting your entire life for.

A flock of girls were waiting to ambush the Senshi of Fire just before she cleared the school gates, the group moving forward together as a single entity. It was a rather disconcerting sight. "Will you be at Muse tonight, Rei?" one asked; the bravest of the bunch no doubt. Ever since being seen at the club it was apparently her number one hangout.

"We'll see," Rei responded coolly, not slowing her pace or even looking at the admirers. She wondered if Minako had this problem at Juuban High School, especially with her new fame. The blonde probably revelled in it, though.

Putting the school behind her was a relief; however she soon noticed something else to pick at her temper. As Rei walked down the street, at the opposite side some metres back from her a sedan trundled along, sticking out like a sore thumb as it matched walking speed-*her* speed, and had done since she'd left the school's grounds. The girl recognised a government vehicle when she saw one; she had experience in the area. Black, expensive, tinted windows with men in suits behind them-not at all conspicuous in the slightest, of course. It was here for her naturally, at the whims of her father. It wasn't near her birthday, and he seldom requested her appearance then anyway, so he probably suddenly wanted a daughter for a political concern. His situation had to be grave; he was risking life and limb contacting her, and Rei didn't think he had become so stupid as to forget her hatred. The answer was no, whatever he sought. His government lackeys were an irritation, however not one that couldn't be summarily ignored.

Rei walked the familiar daily route that would take her halfway to Juuban High School, already in a happier mood from thoughts of who she was about to see. Lost in pleasant dreaming and even more pleasant memory, time passed quickly and before long there were two other girls walking on the sidewalk towards her. The shortest of the pair suddenly had a big silly grin on her beautiful face and started flailing an arm enthusiastically in the air over her head. Rei exhaled slowly and deeply but her face ached from the smile of her own that emerged unbidden and inexorably, the blonde girl's unadulterated cheerfulness infectious. Rei at least hoped she didn't look quite so giddy as Usagi, though on the inside the Fire Senshi was a bouncing, waving, grinning girl just like how her Princess appeared.

"Hi Rei! You weren't waiting, were you?" Usagi said, hopping forward the last step to stand eagerly before Rei. Abruptly her expression dropped dramatically, along with her merriment. "I had *cleanup* duty," she revealed, as though there was no other fate as grim.

Rei quietly shook her head, still unable to cease smiling. She moved even closer, sharing the same space as her Princess, the same air, her left cheek brushing against the blonde's as her lips neared the other girl's ear. The Senshi of Passion's eyes were closed as she took a deep breath, filling her senses with her girlfriend's unique and lovely scent. She snaked an arm around the small of Usagi's back, bringing the heat and softness of Usagi's body flush against her own, and nuzzled the blonde's neck, laying small kisses while revelling in the clean and fresh flavour of her Princess's skin. Rei felt Usagi's arms go around her own waist, welcoming the affection and inviting it to continue, and for a moment the surrounding street; the noise of passing cars and other pedestrians, the birds in the trees and flying in the sky-the entire world-dimmed, fading from the miko's senses. The day had been particularly trying, but Rei could miss Usagi even on the most wonderful of days. But then, a day couldn't be called wonderful if Usagi hadn't been a major part of it.

Usagi turned her head and placed smacking kisses over and over again on Rei's cheek, more playful than passionate, but there was no complaint from the raven-haired girl. Instead she let her arm around the blonde's waist slide lower, over the healthy rump, and her hand was not shy in determining just how healthy it was.

"Rei!" Usagi chastised, twisting awkwardly as the Senshi of Passion's fingers dimpled the supple flesh beneath her blue skirt. "Makoto is standing *right* there, watching! Anybody else could have seen that, too!" The blonde looked about anxiously, as though expecting to discover a leering audience suddenly surrounding them.

"It's never stopped us before," Rei shrugged off. She slapped her Princess's bottom lightly, and the only semblance of a leer around happened to be found on her face.

"Only because *you* can't be stopped," Usagi grumbled, stepping away and smoothing her skirt over her abused backside. "You act like you're polite and proper and everything, but you are shameless! I bet Makoto doesn't do things like that to Ami in broad daylight!"

"Erm..." Makoto vacillated, looking a bit uncomfortable as her and her girlfriend's intimacies were thrust under the spotlight. Rei was pretty certain she hadn't felt that way much at all before Usagi had dragged her and the Senshi of Wisdom into the situation.

"*See*?" Usagi exclaimed, as though the brunette had somehow said it all. She folded her arms haughtily and looked away. "You're just a big pervert, Rei," she declared all high and mighty, before not-too-circumspectly shifting her eyes back to her longsuffering girlfriend, probably to witness any reaction.

"I... suppose I get weak when I'm near you," Rei reasoned, considering for a second if perhaps she had taken after her Grandpa and was somewhat of a letch. Perish the thought. No, Usagi was just being difficult as usual, trying to push her buttons. There was no shame in expressing her love for her Princess, regardless of where they happened to be at the time. Besides, if Rei was a pervert, then she wasn't the only one. "Alright, I'll keep a 'polite and proper' distance between us from now on. Will that make you happy?" the raven-haired girl stated-baited-matching Usagi's stuffiness.

Usagi stared at her, and then blinked a couple of times as she unfolded her arms. "Umm, no, don't do that," she said with a little worry in her voice. "Just... Don't do anything embarrassing when anybody I know is around! Like people from school... and my parents!"

Rei smiled smugly, chin in the air. But she had no trouble agreeing with the 'parents' clause. In the company of anyone else, however...

The Senshi of Passion stepped forwards and kissed Usagi on the mouth without restraint. The blonde didn't hesitate in parting her lips and meeting Rei's tongue-ultimately it took two to tango.

When the couple came up for air some seconds later, Rei turned to Makoto. "Did Ami already leave for cram school?"

Makoto, who had been respectfully centring her attention elsewhere, flinched, taken off guard to suddenly be included. "Uh... mm," she mumbled in the affirmative, nodding. "I'm not sure why Minako isn't here. She left in a hurry, though."

"She probably had modelling commitments or something," Usagi surmised, still standing near the Senshi of Fire, the fingers of her right hand loosely entwined with the fingers of Rei's left. "She's a celebrity now, remember!"

"Mm..." the brunette hummed, but she didn't sound convinced.

"Oh! Makoto!" Usagi abruptly piped up, bursting with excitement. "Rei and I are double dating tonight with Naru and Umino!"

"No we're not," Rei tried to cut in, but was utterly ignored by her Princess.

"We should double date with you and Ami sometime, too!" the blonde went on. "I can't believe we haven't. You could cook for all of us!" She beamed like it was a great idea and not rudely presumptuous in the slightest.

"*Usagi*..." Rei wearily scolded.

"It's okay because Makoto likes to cook, right?" Usagi rationalised, her bright smile and demeanour undaunted as she looked to the brunette for vindication.

"Makoto, prepare something with plenty of vegetables," Rei said, speaking with feigned sincerity to the Senshi of Courage while deliberately disregarding the odango atama. "Like carrots. Lots of them. And carrot cake for dessert."

"*Why* would you say that, Rei?" Usagi despaired, gazing at the miko like a kicked puppy.

Rei merely smiled faintly, unrepentantly, smug again, and folded her arms slowly and precisely in satisfaction. In contrast to her name, Usagi hated carrots. Of course Rei had been well aware of that.

Makoto chuckled lightly, accustomed to her two friends' frequent warfare, and the back and forth ribbing it entailed. "Since it's only the three of us, I think I should leave you two alone today," she proposed once her amusement had died down.

"Aww, no, Makoto!" Usagi immediately protested, darting forward and grabbing onto the taller girl's forearm, as if the brunette were about to make good on her idea right then and there.

"I don't want to get in the way of you guys," Makoto clarified, her face pained. "It's okay; I don't mind. I understand."

"I have to agree with the odango atama on this one," Rei said, sharing a look of perfect understanding with her girlfriend.

"You're our friend, Makoto," Usagi explained, her expression and her tone heartfelt. "We're here to keep you company when Ami can't."

"Not because we should, or have to, but because we want to," Rei added, her smile now supportive and for her friend.

"Thanks guys," Makoto said, obviously touched as she returned the warm looks.

"Anyway, it's nice to have someone to complain to about Usagi," the Fire Senshi remarked, turning her mirthful gaze to her Princess.

"More like *me* complain about *you*!" the blonde huffily retorted. "Makoto's on *my* side!" She tugged the Senshi of Thunder towards her, almost pulling the other girl off her feet.

"No one's on your side, odango atama," Rei deadpanned.

As the girls laughed and at last headed off to the Hikawa Jinja, none of them spotted the digital eye of a camera blinking repeatedly from across the street at one specific girl, the lens poking out of a tinted rear passenger window belonging to a black, expensive, sedan.

* * *

"Minako..." the white feline whined. "Haven't we seen enough yet?"

Minako made a face and started to wish she hadn't gone home to change out of her school uniform and pick up her furry companion, Artemis. He sure did like to nag. But she supposed it was better than wandering around the park alone. In spite of the shantytown of cardboard boxes and makeshift tents, and the dirty, shifty looking people who inhabited the trash-turned-domiciles, the blonde didn't feel in danger. It was instead depressing, like a heavy cloud of gloom hung over the place; a place removed from the rest of the city, yet existing right smack in the middle of it. The people who dwelled here were unfortunates, not degenerates. The man with the thick beard and the layers of threadbare coats may have once been a successful businessman; the other man next to him wearing what had been an expensive suit before grime and time had brought it to the level of rags, cooking instant ramen over a portable camp stove, could have been Minako's father in another life. There were dozens like them, mostly men, and each with their own hard luck story-but a story they kept to themselves. There was no begging as Minako passed through the 'streets' of their town; no hands reaching out for charity, no predatory eyes hoping for more than spare change, or even jealousy at her clean clothes and evident good fortune. Some actually appeared scared of *her* when she stopped to ask questions. For the most part they simply ignored her, the outsider, when they could, preferring to maintain their privacy. There was dignity in their destitution, although it was all they had left to their name.

Minako thought about doing something to help-it was hard not to, surrounded by people that truly needed compassion-however there was very little she could do. She had money-she was getting paid for her modelling endeavours, after all-but not enough to make a difference beyond guaranteeing a couple of individuals a meal for the next few nights-certainly not enough to turn their lives around and deal them a new hand from fate. It was Sailor Venus who could make a bigger difference by finding Eiji, Mr Kats' down and out brother, or what had happened to him, and ultimately determining if there was a threat to the homeless scratching out a living here in this park. In this task Minako was one of the few that actually had the power to make an impact, and she intended to make full use of her power. The fates of the men and women here truly were beyond salvation if someone or something was taking advantage of them in their misfortune, and in the most violent way possible.

An hour or so into it though and no one had seen anything, heard anything, or knew anything. A handful had known Eiji; a bitter man who typically spurned his brother's donations; but they didn't know where he had gone. One day he simply hadn't been in the park anymore. He had left his meagre belongings too; his cardboard shelter and newspaper bed; but they weren't treasures nor anything that couldn't be replaced if he'd settled somewhere else. Minako prayed Eiji really had just moved on without telling a soul; perhaps too shamed to include even Mr Kats' in his plans; or had wanted to get away from his brother's pity once and for all or something like that. It was possible... however in her gut the girl didn't quite believe it. Maybe the Senshi of Beauty had been around the grim and the terrible too much-her optimism in these sorts of matters was virtually non-existent.

"We still haven't checked over there," Minako said as she nodded towards a distant section of the park, her tone intentionally upbeat just to irk Artemis. The cat slumped in her arms, resigning himself to more investigating. The blonde grinned and scratched behind one of his ears as compensation.

Minako walked onwards, picking a path through the random crisscrossing streets of cardboard and tarp, occasionally lingering to inquire if anybody could tell her about Eiji. Not everyone was happy to talk, but they did, though still they said nothing that could assist her. Meanwhile Artemis took many deep breathes, and spent just as long in releasing them. It *was* beginning to feel fruitless.

Minako meandered past some trees and a swing set, seeming out of place here despite it being a park, and bumped into another outsider, if the quality of his clothes was an accurate indication. He too was questioning the homeless, and from the way he ground the palm of a hand into the side of his head in frustration, mussing his white locks, he wasn't having much better luck than Minako was. The man turned-and Minako blinked as recognition sparked in her blue eyes.

Toshio jerked to a sudden halt as he recognised Minako in the same instant she did him. Artemis too raised his head, his whiskers twitching and his ears turning towards the police officer. It had been... years. Toshio Wakagi looked the same as in Minako's memory; dressed in a suit and tie; slightly dishevelled; and with a visage that was somewhat stressed. More old memories flooded back with his image; old battles, old enemies, old friends, old loves. And an old hero in a red mask.

"What are *you* doing here?" Toshio abruptly burst out with, angrily stabbing a pointed finger in the Senshi of Beauty's direction. He then frowned, cocking his head to the side uncertainly. "You're not homeless, are you?"

"Do I look homeless?" Minako cried incredulously, agape. "Look at my outfit! It's expensive!" Then it was her turn to frown. "*You're* not homeless, are you?"

"*No*! I'm on an official investigation!" Toshio snapped. If he was here in that capacity, then perhaps there was something for the homeless to worry about. And perhaps something... unnatural. Toshio used to be a Special Officer of the Metropolitan Police, heading a taskforce to solve suspicious occurrences in Tokyo. Minako wondered if the taskforce was still in operation, or if her old acquaintance was here for more mundane police business. Either way, it wasn't good news for the park's residents.

"Wait, what *are* you doing here?" Toshio demanded to know, his green eyes narrowing in suspicion. He had never been much of an admirer of Minako's first alter-ego, Sailor V, and was well aware that the two blondes had been one in the same. He knew now that Sailor V had been on the side of good and that had curbed his criticism a bit, but not completely. If not an enemy, then he had apparently felt that Sailor V had been in direct competition with the Metropolitan Police, with the masked hero ending up on top more often than he'd liked. Every time Sailor V had beaten the police to the punch Toshio had taken it as a humiliating, and oddly personal, defeat.

"Ahh... I was just... umm..." the blonde floundered. Suddenly she was conscious of the warm bundle in her arms. "I was just looking for my cat!" She lifted Artemis up for emphasis. "See?" The girl glowered theatrically down at the white feline. "Bad cat; stop running away!" she admonished while Artemis wearily stared into space through half-lidded eyes.

"Hmm..." Toshio murmured. He leaned closer, studying Minako's furry companion, his distrust unrelenting.

Quickly Minako covered the crescent moon symbol emblazoned on Artemis's forehead with her hand and laughed nervously, favouring Toshio with-hopefully-a disarming smile. The Senshi of Beauty prayed the man wouldn't recall her 'pet' cat, and the feline's special nature.

The police officer clicked his tongue and straightened, apparently satisfied for now, if only barely. Minako breathed a small sigh at the mercy.

"So, what's this official investigation about?" the girl not-so-subtly probed.

Toshio sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his head, looking out across the park's shantytown. "Missing persons reports. Normally we don't bother much with the homeless-they tend to move around a lot; get taken in by family; or get back on their feet-but recently enough have vanished that people are starting to take notice. It's not just here, or only among the homeless; we've been getting reports from all over the city. Most of the missing are the homeless however, and so here I am." He frowned again, and skewered Minako with a skeptical look. "Wait... why are you interested? You *have* retired, haven't you?"

"J-Just curious," Minako said, trying to grin away his suspicions.

"You don't have anything to do with those other Sailor Senshi, do you?" Toshio continued nevertheless. "I almost had a heart attack when so many popped up. But at least they stay out of matters that should be left to the police!" He glared at the blonde pointedly.

"Not at all!" the Senshi of Love and Beauty chirped, waving away his notions with a hand. "Never heard of them!"

Toshio stared at the girl for a few moments longer, as though he didn't believe a word, and Minako began to itch under this gaze. But eventually he seemed to deflate, sighing again. "She's still your number one fan," he said softly.

"You mean... Big Sis?" Another old friend the Inner Senshi hadn't seen in so very long. Natsuna Sakurada had been the Superintendent-General of the Metropolitan Police when Minako had known her, and a huge proponent of Sailor V. She was also privy to Minako's masked identity, and used to call the blonde weekly to beg her to join the police force. The calls had stopped years ago, when Sailor V had become Sailor Venus, head bodyguard to the Moon Princess.

Toshio nodded uncomfortably. "The Superintendent-General doesn't talk about you, but... I can tell she hasn't forgotten. And... I..." The police officer coughed. "You should think about becoming a police recruit after you graduate," he suggested brusquely, "and legitimise your meddling!"

"I don't meddle; I help!" Minako huffed, before glancing away. "I mean, I used to..." She struck a pose as though she were in front of snapping camera, smiling coyly. "Anyway, I have a career. Haven't you seen me in all the magazines?" She leisurely brushed some of her blonde locks off her shoulder.

"Huh?"

Minako sighed and her shoulders slumped while she directed a disparaging stare at Toshio. This modelling thing really better pick up.

"Look, just go home," Toshio ordered, shoving his hands into his pants' pockets. "And stay retired!" he shouted as he walked away.

Minako watched him go. At one time she'd had a crush on him. Now... the feelings were like a faded photograph, worn and creased and the colour all but gone; an old love that existed solely in her memory, beyond restoration-an old flame that had been snuffed out.

"Maybe we should leave this to the police," Artemis advised once Toshio was out of earshot.

"Don't chicken out, Artemis," Minako said. "This is what we *do*." She took a tired breath, watching the figure from her past as he knelt down to grill another homeless man. "It's what we used to do," she whispered.

* * *

"Ohh~! Check *him* out!"

"Where? Where?"

"Over *there*-red shirt, great dancer, perfect body..."

"Mm, nice, but give me his *friend*!"

The voyeuristic pairing of Usagi and Naru broke out into mischievous giggles, leaning into each other as though the subjects of their shallow appraisals might overhear them if they didn't. Meanwhile Rei took yet another sip of her fruity drink as her patience frayed a little more, and wished, once again, that she was old enough to be served alcohol, or rebellious enough to have a fake ID. The raven-haired teenager looked across Usagi and Naru to Umino on the far side of the curved booth, and saw the boy sitting there like a zombie, as if the entire will to live had been drained from him. Poor guy. Rei couldn't help pitying him. If she had a lesser will she might have looked just like him; heart broken and spirit crushed; but she was not a slave to insecurity. Usagi could feast her eyes on anybody she wanted and spew her lustful accolades-Rei was immune. Her faith in her Princess was unshakable; her trust inexhaustible. Rei was the one who Usagi *loved*-not some vacuous lump of muscle that happened to dress nice.

"He could take me on the dance floor any night he wanted! I mean *to* the dance floor, *to*!"

"Usagi~! You're so bad!"

Rei's glass slammed down onto the booth's metal table, sending a deluge of juice splashing out all over her hand, and ice-cubes flying everywhere else. What liquid remained inside quickly leaked out and formed a puddle, the glass's base ruptured by several cracks.

Conscious of everyone looking at her, Rei nonchalantly released the abused glass and carefully laid her hands in her lap. "I'm fine," she assured, although her voice was harsh through her clenched teeth.

"Um, Usagi, maybe we should..." Naru apprehensively began, staring at the Senshi of Fire like a lit stick of dynamite in her midst. She glanced at Umino sitting on the other side of her, and did a double take when she saw the state he was in. "Gurio? Gurio? Are you alright?" The redhead shook her unresponsive boyfriend anxiously.

Rei hadn't been too mad when she'd learned Usagi had invited Naru and Umino on their clubbing investigation, even though the miko remembered saying something against the couple's inclusion. She supposed even if she had expressly forbidden Usagi's classmates tagging along they would have turned up anyway-a 'strange coincidence' or what have you, with the suspect blonde nervously laughing off the raven-haired girl's disbelief. Maybe Rei was growing accustomed to her girlfriend being such a... such a... *odango* atama that she unconsciously planned for the inevitability. Or was it her just being a sap again-a sucker for that beautiful, cheerful, face and that innocent, charming, disposition?

In any case, Rei couldn't have made a big deal about it in front of Naru and Umino-it wasn't their fault Usagi was so irritating, and the Fire Senshi didn't want the couple feeling unwelcome. It was important to get along with her Princess's pals-the ones that didn't transform into guardians of the world. If danger did manifest in this thriving club atmosphere they'd have to be ditched however no matter how rude it was. Being Usagi's long time school chums though, Rei imagined that they were well acquainted with that behaviour. She'd leave Usagi to give the explanation and the apology in the aftermath if it came to that. On second thought, maybe Rei wouldn't.

Rei could tell it was Naru and Umino's first time in a nightclub. The redhead had arrived at the Tsukino house beforehand wearing a rather floral dress better suited for afternoon tea on a Sunday, while her bespectacled boyfriend was overdressed clad in a tuxedo and frilly shirt. They had been nervous when they'd had to line up to get into Muse, and had gushed once inside like a pair of country-bumpkin tourists in the city for a day. But Rei wondered if she and Usagi had been much different two nights ago when Minako had introduced them to this loud and lively scene.

In contrast the two Senshi knew how to dress for the nocturnal revelry. Usagi had relied on her Disguise Pen to clothe her a second time, and the device plus an appropriate fashion magazine from her bedroom had conjured a passable ensemble, if a little girlish with its excess of pink and glitter. She apparently liked mini-skirts, stockings, and platform boots as they were back again, the latter lifting the blonde to nearly equal height with Rei. And as for the Senshi of Passion, she had a style of her own too and knew how to look good, especially when her clothes actually fit. Short black leather high-heeled boots and scandalously short black dress shorts left her legs mostly bare, while a sparkly red sleeveless top with a baggy, drooping neckline exposed much of her chest. Rei hadn't overlooked her makeup either, going for her usual sultry look. All in all she felt she was worthy 'armcandy' for her Princess. Or at least she *had*...

"What else are we supposed to do when you won't let us dance, Rei?" Usagi griped, turning in her seat to scowl at the Senshi of Fire.

Inwardly Rei wearily sighed as it dawned on her she even found that scowl adorable. "*You* can dance all you want; *I'm* here to keep an eye out, *remember*? I have to stay alert," the raven-haired girl nevertheless argued back, and even though Naru and Umino were no doubt overhearing her true purpose for being in Muse tonight. But she didn't care-instead she ground her teeth a moment and looked away. "Why don't you dance with that guy if you want to dance so badly," she grumbled under her breath, yet loud enough that the blonde certainly could hear it.

"I want to dance with *you*, stupid!" Usagi exasperatedly exclaimed.

"U-Usagi! It's th-that guy!" Naru suddenly squeaked.

Sure enough, the man, frankly too old for Usagi, in the red shirt, who was supposedly a 'great' dancer with the 'perfect' body, was coming towards the booth. Both Usagi and Naru were abruptly gripped with a strange anxious silence while they stared at the man's approach. Rei pressed her red lips together viciously, vowing not to lose her head and give the odango atama the satisfaction. How could anyone be jealous of *that* guy?

To the girls' surprise, the man's eyes went to Rei. "Hi there," he said smoothly, smiling a little afterwards.

"Um, hi," Rei replied lamely, taken aback while Usagi and Naru stared at her now, the blonde incredulous.

"Care to dance?"

"Oh, ahh..." The raven-haired girl thought about accepting just to rile her Princess, but didn't have the heart. There was a big difference between talking and doing, and Rei would never do anything to truly hurt the one she loved. "No thanks," she declined, raising a forestalling hand.

"I'll be over there if you change your mind," the guy said with a wink, rolling with the rejection as though it didn't bother him. For some reason Rei remembered the speech about 'certain men' to watch out for her Grandpa had given her when she was younger.

"You suck, Rei," Usagi grumbled like a genuine sore loser once the man had melted back into the dancing throng and the darkness surrounding them.

"Do you want me to call him back for you?" Rei said with a smirk, no longer annoyed as she had been. "I can totally set it up."

Usagi merely crossed her arms and turned her head-and the fuming pout on her face-from her lover's growing grin.

"Um, why don't we dance, Gurio?" Naru said quickly, sensing the mood. Not waiting for a response, she dragged the comatose boy out of the booth and into the swarm of clubbers gyrating to frantic music under beams of multicoloured lights. Rei hoped they'd be alright by themselves, but she was grateful to be left alone with Usagi. Not that the other couple's presence would have derailed her doting any...

Rei sidled closer to Usagi and reached over to touch the other girl's leg with her fingertips, in the gap between stocking and skirt. She leaned close so her lips; made the lusher with her dark red lipstick; were by the sulking blonde's ear. "I only have eyes for you, always," she whispered breathily into the delicate shell. "Everyone else here may as well not exist."

The Senshi of Passion dipped her fingers under Usagi's mini-skirt, stroking the thigh underneath lightly with fingertips still. "You make me so mad..." She captured the blonde's earlobe in her teeth and let it drag slowly free again, through her lips. "...But it's only because I love you so much. I want you all to myself. I want to be the only one who makes you happy." Rei's hand on Usagi's leg slid between the girl's thighs, feeling heat and the fabric barrier that kept it at bay. "I want to be the only one who knows what you sound like..." The miko's tongue darted out to lick her girlfriend's earlobe briefly. "...When you cry out in pleasure..."

Rei's lips dropped lower, pushing against Usagi's throat. She parted them, lapping at the flesh between them for a second, and then sucked. Hard.

Usagi's mouth opened gradually and a weak, strangled moan escaped her lips at the vacuum Rei created, unable to preserve her moping under the loving assault. It was pleasure spiced with pain, the first heightened by the second, and although the blonde might whine later, the Senshi of Passion knew her Princess liked it. And Rei too liked to make her mark.

Rei released Usagi's throat and slowly and gently licked the red blemish she'd caused on her love's skin, a fresh one to make up for the others that had already all but faded. Meanwhile her hand under the blonde's skirt drew nearer to the fabric barrier. A finger dared, pressing against the cotton and rubbing up and down the crease behind it until dampness seeped through. Rei smiled in smug satisfaction.

Abruptly Rei withdrew her hand and casually sat back in her seat, lightly folding her arms. "I guess I do suck," she remarked with a feigned sigh. Then she couldn't hold back her wide grin any more. She turned her head to Usagi and added a wink to her rakish smirk. "Just the way you like it."

Usagi looked back at her girlfriend, panting with a pink complexion, and clearly pained for the Senshi of Passion's not so tender ministrations to have come to a premature end. But they *were* on a mission, after all. "Can... Can we dance now?" she asked breathlessly. "Or... do you want to, umm..." The blonde looked shyly down at her lap.

"Usagi, I told you we aren't here for dancing," Rei answered patiently, her attention on the clubgoers now. "I'm sorry, but we do need to keep focused." Anyone of them could be what she was on the lookout for, although she hadn't sensed anything otherworldly yet. Maybe they should switch tables to one on a different side of the club for a new perspective.

Usagi raised her head and looked at the miko in disbelief, and then anger. Suddenly she squirmed out of the booth and stood up before Rei, her expression incensed. "I'm going to the bathroom!" she announced. "*Alone*!"

Rei sighed for real this time and slouched back in the booth's plush seating, watching her Princess storm off. Didn't people normally go to the bathroom alone? Rei wished Usagi could be more dedicated to their duty. She guessed it was harder for Usagi since the other girl couldn't detect the unnatural like she could; it likely felt more futile more quickly; however the Fire Senshi was beginning to tire as well, especially now that she had ticked off her girlfriend again, and so soon after making up with her. They had been lounging around in this booth sipping on overpriced sodas and juice for quite awhile.

"Hi there, Rei!"

As if things couldn't get any worse, all of a sudden an array of girls stood before Rei, dressed to the nines and with colourful drinks in their hands. But underneath the makeup and the flashy clothes they were high school girls. Rei didn't recognise any of them, but they obviously knew her, and the way each of them grinned at her rather disturbingly removed all doubt-they were from her school, and seemingly like every student there, were diehard members of her tedious fanclub. The miko wasn't sure quite what it was about their smiles, but she felt pinned beneath them-suddenly she was out of the bowl; a fish on a chopping board, waiting to be gutted.

"Where's... 'Usagi', is it?" one of the girls asked, pretending to be ignorant. Of course she was well aware of Rei's girlfriend's name. The Fire Senshi would be hard pressed to find someone in T*A Private Girls' School who didn't.

"She didn't dump you, did she?" another said. "Oh, you poor thing!"

"She just walked out on you, didn't she! How dare she!"

"*No*," Rei stated sternly, a little bit riled by the implication. Why didn't they think *she* had dumped *Usagi*, at least? "She just went-" She looked towards the club's restrooms, trying to get a glimpse of the doors through the crowds, while willing her Princess to be coming out of them right that instant to rescue her from her 'admirers'. She frowned then, turning her head back to her schoolmates. "Wait, have you been spying on me?"

The five girls had the decency to look uncomfortable, their smiles waning under Rei's dark glare. Or perhaps they simply weren't very good at appearing innocent. "O-Of course not!" one laughed, her friends soon joining their nervous chuckles to hers. "Um, mind if we join you?"

Before Rei could open her mouth, the group had regained their aplomb and were sliding their bottoms around the booth's seating on either side of the Fire Senshi, effectively trapping her in there. The girls' drinks were suddenly on the table in front of Rei, as though a claim had been staked, and the miko eyed them with trepidation. Then she glanced towards the restrooms again, fearing long queues were behind those doors.

The girls all smiled at her while she drew her arms in, feeling claustrophobic. Rei could have sworn the two T*A girls nearest her on either side were getting closer.

In unison everyone who wasn't a penned in Sailor Senshi picked up their drinks and started taking shy sips through straws, nary a word spoken, the T*A girls' daring seeming to shrivel when so close to their obsession. Or so Rei initially thought. She soon realised the shy sips were nonchalant sips, and the girls-*all* the girls-were indeed creeping closer, the legs of the two nearest ending up pressed against hers. Rei considered if it was acceptable to climb over the back of the booth, or leap over the table. She could say she needed to use the bathroom. Urgently.

"You know..." the girl on Rei's right spoke up, putting her drink down with a somewhat tremulous hand, "...*Rei*..." The way she said the raven-haired teenager's name was akin to a gasp of ecstasy, as though it was bliss simply to utter it. The girl leaned towards Rei, forcing the miko to lean back to get away, only for her to bump into the other girl next to her, reminding her of her confines. The audacious T*A girl was unswayed by Rei's attempt to escape or the Inner Senshi's abject alarm; the latter which had to be clearly seen with her face pushed up into the raven-haired girl's-traditionally far too close for anyone but a lover. "I've always-"

"Usagi!" Rei blurted, her Princess's sudden appearance at the booth a godsend. That was until Rei saw her face. She wasn't sure if Usagi looked more hurt or mad, however she was definitely upset-more so. "These are girls from my school," the Senshi of Fire quickly clarified, her voice quite bubbly in her panic. The innocent act was unfortunately ruined by practically being in one girl's lap while another loomed over her, breathing on her lips. She hadn't done anything wrong, yet it wounded Rei to look at her Princess's distraught visage. It wasn't the anger she saw there that did it, but the hurt. Usagi had to know that Rei's earlier declarations had not been hollow; that she would not betray her, least of all with *these* girls. She had to. Usagi knew *Rei*. Still... the Senshi of Passion felt like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Che!" the aggressive girl spat at the sight of Rei's girlfriend, and retreated from atop the miko. The rest of the fanclub slithered away with her, their eyes downcast to avoid Usagi's gaze; like a pack of succubi foiled and banished back to the darkness. And into the darkness they went, where the partying throng could hide them... until next time. Rei really hoped there wouldn't be a next time.

Usagi sat down in the booth-at its edge, far from Rei; as far as possible. With her stiff posture and folded arms, and how she wouldn't even look in Rei's direction, it didn't take a genius to conclude that the blonde was not happy.

Rei swallowed, and then leaned across the table towards her Princess. "Usagi," she said sweetly, delicately, and a little desperately, "would you like to dance?" Dancing, and the possible distraction it posed to their investigating, didn't seem like such a big deal anymore.

"I don't want to."

"...What?" Rei said dumbly after a moment.

"You missed your chance," Usagi said in a clipped, matter-of-fact tone. "You missed your chance for a *lot* of things." She at last turned her head to Rei. "Why don't you dance with one of those 'girls from your school'," she suggested, and then turned crossly away from the Fire Senshi again.

"Oh... kay..." Rei said tentatively as she slinked back to her side of the booth, recoiling like a dog with its tail lodged firmly between its legs. She sighed and slumped into the cushioning, letting her head loll back. If there was something evil lurking here in Muse, she was going to beat the living hell out of him, her, or it for putting her through this.

Rei cast her gaze downwards from the club's psychedelic light-streaked ceiling, and was surprised to find that Usagi was no longer on the other side of the booth. Instead the blonde was crawling on hands and knees up to her over the plush seating, looking glum. Usagi knelt beside Rei, and gently took the other girl's hand.

"I'm sorry, Rei. Please don't be sad," Usagi said solemnly, gazing into the Senshi of Passion's amethyst eyes. "I didn't mean any of it. I *do* want to dance." She brought Rei's hand up to her lips and kissed the palm softly, still staring intently.

"I'm not sad," Rei said, however she was taken aback when her voice came out unsteadily, and shyly. She swallowed hard, and ludicrously felt her eyes moisten under the blue open skies of her Princess's gaze. Yet she couldn't break the look, nor could she stop the tears. She felt very foolish; angry at herself even for being so pathetic. But the rage petered out, and didn't help stem the quiet flow.

"Oh Rei," Usagi whispered, and touched her forehead to the raven-haired girl's. Her mouth pushed forwards several times, depositing small kisses against Rei's lips, each a balm for the tears. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she earnestly avowed between every one. Then, "I love you. I love you."

Rei smiled contentedly when the kisses eventually ceased and Usagi's arms continued the tenderness, insisting she be near, holding her to the blonde's chest, fingers running through her hair. It was okay to feel as she did. It wasn't the first time her Princess had stripped Rei of her strength, her pride, her bravado. Usagi had always been good at that. But it was okay to be vulnerable in front of her. It felt right. It felt like... it was how it was supposed to be. Rei felt like a lowly subject, loved by someone far above her station, far above her in every way; loved so deeply, so wholly; the love of a Princess-her Princess-like nothing else in this world. She felt small in Usagi's arms, basking in her affection. Rei was reminded of her childhood for a moment, when everything had been alright and the world had seemed... kind. It was no wonder Usagi would rule that world one day, instilling that kindness Rei had forgotten. Only an angel could. Only her.

"I love you too," Rei said softly. "I'm sorry too."

They simply held each other for a while, their thoughts the same, the feelings in their hearts the same. When they parted, the hurt, the tears, and everything else that didn't belong in a perfect world, in a dream come true, had gone.

Usagi gaped at Rei. "Rei, your mascara! Don't worry, I'll fix it!" The blonde dug around in her tote bag, and pulled out a tube of black mascara and a tissue. "Hold still." She licked the tissue, and taking Rei's chin in one hand, she carefully wiped at the dark streaks beneath the raven-haired girl's eyes her crying had caused.

Rei sat there quietly, happy to let her Princess dote. She stared unblinkingly at Usagi when the girl reapplied mascara to her eyelashes, smiling faintly at the blonde's concentration and the cute expression it conjured.

"There! Done!" Usagi snapped the applicator wand back into the tube and threw it back into her tote. "Back to beautiful!" She blushed and looked down. "Umm... Y-You're always beautiful, though..."

Rei smiled broadly. "Thanks. But we both know who has the looks between us."

"What?" Usagi exclaimed, raising her head. "No, Rei, you really are beautiful!"

"Am I?" Rei teased.

Usagi nodded vigorously, but then suddenly gave the Senshi of Passion a frown. "You just like hearing me say you're beautiful, don't you!" she accused.

Rei smirked. "Well, I'm so often ignored when I stand beside you."

Usagi's blush returned, but this time she held her girlfriend's warm and indulgent look. "Let's... find Naru and Umino and have some fun," she said, knowing implicitly where things were heading between herself and her lover if they didn't stop now, just as Rei knew. They'd pick up where they'd left off later; they'd be more than happy to remind each other.

Rei offered her Princess her hand to take, and then led the blonde out of the booth and onto the dance floor. Naru and Umino weren't hard to locate despite the press of people and the disorientating swirls of light and the endless beat of frenetic music pounding on everyone's senses. The couple hadn't let the booth leave their sight apparently, and were found not far from it. The attention of his girlfriend had snapped Umino out of his stupor, although after seeing his dancing Rei wondered if it would have been better if he had remained a zombie.

Nevertheless, Rei and Usagi joined Naru and Umino, and the fun they appeared to be having. Rei and Usagi's intimate embraces and provocative touches they worked into their dance routines raised the other couple's eyebrows, but they seemed to get used to it. The Senshi of Passion's heels didn't hold her back; when you were a master of fighting in them, dancing in them wasn't much of a challenge. Neither did the prospect of something preying on the other dancers deter Rei; really, her concerns about dancing and losing focus were unwarranted. Her senses were *always* focused. If something wicked and not of this world were to come, she would know. But until then, she intended to have fun with Usagi; with her Princess-with her love.

"Usagi! What happened to your neck?" Naru asked in alarm.

* * *

There was a click in the darkness, and suddenly the screen of Minako's mobile phone lit up the blonde's tired features, its pasty glow a lone light in-if the time on the device was correct, and she was pretty sure it was-the absolute dead of night. Or was that early morning now? Shops had closed, the park lights had turned off, and everyone that lived here at least had gone to sleep in their crudely improvised beds that nevertheless looked rather attractive to the Senshi of Love and Beauty right now. She had forgotten how quiet it could be at night, when all but those that thrived in the dark withdrew from the world until the light returned. All, except *her*. Minako was still here, still awake, still watching over the men and women that made their home in this park. She had lost count of the hours, but it didn't matter. Late nights didn't bother her. This was old times.

Her phone beeped softly as a practiced thumb danced rapidly over the keypad, checking for missed messages. There were none, but she hadn't expected to find any. Minako had meant to go out tonight-the usual; dinner and drinking; well, she didn't actually drink-however Setsuna hadn't called or sent her a text message wondering why she hadn't showed. Why would the woman wonder, though. Of course she knew, being who she was. For a moment Minako considered if she had been missed, by the Outer Senshi or even by Mamoru or Motoki, then decided it was best not to think about it. Not even the Senshi of Love's parents had called her. Minako guessed it was old times for them too.

The girl slowly closed her phone in her hand, musing whether she should have made the calls or sent the messages instead. But it would have been unnecessary. Setsuna was wise to everything, and her parents were used to her gallivanting at all hours. It made things less complicated anyway, being overlooked. Minako wouldn't have said no to that dinner, though, if she could have eaten it here. Dinner for her had been vending machine junk food scoffed down while sitting against a tree and worrying Toshio would catch her still loitering. Thankfully the police officer had left some time ago, allowing Minako to patrol in peace from then on.

Minako petted the fuzzy mound beside her, hearing it purr unconsciously under her affection. The blonde smiled fondly. She wasn't alone at least. Artemis was rusty however; he had fallen asleep, and his whining about giving up and going home hadn't ebbed much since the afternoon. But maybe she was rusty as well. The girl hadn't seen anything strange whatsoever. Perhaps her instincts had been wrong? Perhaps whatever had been abducting the homeless had moved on from this area and her dedication had really been nothing more than a big waste of her time and energy. In a few more hours it would be daybreak. No matter her doubts, Minako couldn't leave it before then. As long as it was dark, there was still a chance that something was skulking in that gloom, be it human after all, or something else entirely.

Minako laid her hand on Artemis's back and shook the feline gently. "Artemis," she whispered. "It's time to make the rounds again."

The white lump moaned, and for a second the Guardian Senshi didn't think he was going to get up, but then he stretched like only a cat could, and lazily blinked his eyes open. "Minako... I really don't think anything's here..."

"Let's make sure of it," Minako said, as chipper as though she were as fresh as a daisy, when in fact she was far from it. "You know I need your eyes. Anyway, you shouldn't be tired. Aren't cats supposed to be nocturnal?"

"Minako..." Artemis started to whine again, but suddenly his head perked up, the fur on his back standing on end. He was wide awake now. "I think I see something."

"Where? Where?" Minako breathily inquired, gripped and agitated by a sudden surge of adrenaline herself. She strained to pierce through the dark with her gaze; however vague outlines and indistinguishable shapes of what could be an army of monsters for all she knew was the best her eyes could come up with, her imagination having to fill in the rest... or a certain feline.

"Someone is walking around," Artemis said, his voice hurried and hushed, and adding to Minako's excitement. He didn't turn his head from the sight somewhere in the distance; from what only his animal eyes were able to see.

"Maybe they just need to use the bathroom," Minako pointed out, still striving to see through the darkness; squinting even and bringing her head down to Artemis's level, close to the ground; in spite of knowing the futilely of her efforts.

"No..." The cat turned then to the Senshi, and even in the pitch black she could detect the change in his demeanour. "They're carrying someone."

Artemis bounded off, his paws silent and quick on the ground, and Minako was left to bite off a yelp as she struggled to go after him, shoving her phone into her pocket. "I can't see!" she hissed, running blind and terrified of tripping over some poor slumbering homeless fellow and blowing their stealthy pursuit. "Artemis! *Artemis*!"

Minako grunted when she felt something hit her in the chest, and realising it was her feline companion, grabbed him in her arms.

"Straight ahead," Artemis's whispered guidance came. "Wait, go left! Watch that bush! That flagstone's uneven there!"

The Senshi of Love and Beauty stubbed her toes, banged her shins and knees into trashcans and benches, stumbled and almost fell over numerous times, but eventually Artemis led her to the suspicious character; close enough that even the girl could make him-or whatever it was-out. He was still a shadowy figure, but Minako could follow him without Artemis's dodgy directions, which was a relief for all concerned.

The blonde heard a heavy metal scraping sound, and then silence, and then the sound again. The figure had vanished after that.

"You're not going to like this..." Artemis bemoaned, and Minako could practically hear the cringe in his voice.

"Please tell me that wasn't a manhole. Tell me it wasn't!"

"Ahh..."

Minako sighed heavily but nevertheless ran up to the sewer entrance. She hated the sewers. Who wouldn't? Wading through an entire city's human refuse was not something people lined up to do. Bad guys seemed to love it down there amid the foulness and the bazillion rats, and the nests of bugs, and everything else horrible that made a home in filth. The network of tunnels were a good way to move around Tokyo undetected, but the Senshi of Beauty wished the creatures of the night would learn something about personal hygiene, and maybe something about self-respect. That this guy had chosen the sewers to make his escape gave him a tick in the monster box rather than the human one; even criminals had standards, with few willing to traipse through poop unless it was a last resort or they were especially sick.

Artemis hopped out of Minako's arms as the girl crouched down at the manhole, sighing once again. She felt for the holes where a crowbar or another lever would go, pushing her fingers through, and then heaved with all her might, leaning back to put her weight behind it.

"Come on, Minako!" Artemis urged unhelpfully.

Minako's arms quivered and she groaned and grumbled and grunted in the back of her throat, as unladylike as she'd ever been, but at last iron scraped against paving again as the cover shifted. She fell back onto her backside, the muscles in her arms aching and her fingers stinging.

"Hurry!"

Minako eyed Artemis dryly while she sat there on the ground, regaining her breath and wiping the grime and rust from her hands-although where she was going it was a pointless act. Artemis was right. She hadn't done this much, and come this far, to lose her only lead to Eiji and the other homeless disappearances now. The Senshi crawled over to the manhole, pushing the cover completely out of the way; easy to do now it was loose; and then felt for the ladder. She clambered down into darkness that was even deeper than that in the park above, with Artemis flopped over her left shoulder like a rag.

When her feet were enveloped in water, Minako winced in disgust and internally shrieked. She tried not to imagine what was floating *in* that water, but her mind wouldn't listen and didn't stop terrorising her. She had liked these shoes, too. Artemis wisely stayed draped over her shoulder. He had it so easy. At least he had to suffer the putrid, nauseating, downright awful smell just as she did.

Fighting the impulse to retch or even outright hurl, Minako blindly pressed onwards, Artemis's whispered guidance in her ear keeping her on track. She couldn't see him anymore in the exhaustive murk, but the cat assured her that the mysterious figure and his victim were dead ahead, the latter slung over the figure's shoulder much like Artemis was over the Senshi of Beauty's. The blonde could hear however the splashes the figure caused as he walked, apparently heedless of noise now that he was below ground where normal beings seldom braved. It worked to Minako's advantage; she was meticulous with her steps, such that the disturbance she made in the sewer water shouldn't be picked up over his lumbering. She could follow him. Confronting the figure would come later; the big picture had to be served first-Minako had to uncover his agenda, and from that determine whether there were other victims besides the immediate one that weren't beyond saving. For the sake of Mr. Kats' brother, the girl hoped there were.

"M-Minako!" Artemis suddenly squealed, his claws digging into her top.

Minako felt her footing give way as though a rug had been pulled from under her; however there was no rug hidden in the sewer water, but some sort of debris that had snagged her ankle. She registered all this in a split second, right before she landed face first in the grossest liquid imaginable. "Aww, *no*!" the girl spluttered, gagging as her mind struggled to wrap around the horror of her situation. In hysterics, she spat and spat, frantic to purge every droplet of sewer water from the inside of her mouth. She tried to remember if she had swallowed any, and panicked as she considered the worst possibility. Would she get some disease? Did they have pills for that? Would she have to go to the hospital? Then she felt the tainted water soaking into her clothes, plastering the once designer gear to her skin, contaminating her body, and with another horrified retch, she hurried to stand up.

"*Minako*~!" Artemis squealed again, and for a moment the blonde thought he had taken a dunking in a toxic cesspool as well. But his concerns turned out to be different. "Th-Th-The-! He's changing! *It's* changing! It's big! *Big*! It's the size of the tunnel!" So much for stealth.

A bestial roar erupted like a siren; long and loud; and Minako could feel the smelly underground air blast into her wet face. The sewer tunnel shook; and dust, pebbles, masonry, roaches, rats, *whatever*-hard little things-rained down on her head. Raining vermin would have ordinarily had her in fits, but creepy-crawlies and feral rodents, the filth on her clothes and sticking to her hair, the stench of the sewers and the muck around her ankles-none of it mattered to her any longer.

"*Youma*~!" the flustered feline cried, as if there was any doubt left.

The Inner Senshi wiped her mouth and spat a final time. This was what she did. Minako's Henshin Stick materialised in her hand, spinning in her grasp with timeless familiarity before she grabbed it properly and thrust it in the air.

"VENUS CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"

Minako's sodden street clothes faded from her body, stripping her naked, but not for long. Orange ribbons of energy suffused the air around her, bringing with them vestments that were as ancient as they were comfortable; a uniform that fit like no other outfit could. Where the ribbons touched her skin a Sailor fuku sparkled into existence; blue and yellow bows tying, and an orange skirt swirling around her waist. White gloves flowed down her arms to her elbows, and orange heels found her feet. The transformation was over in a blink of an eye, and where Minako had been Sailor Venus now stood, Senshi of Love and Beauty.

"I'll need your eyes, Artemis." Her voice had changed; it was more direct, filled with purpose.

The girl felt her companion's firm nod, his furry face brushing against her cheek. He still clung to her, his claws finding purchase in her Sailor fuku.

The roar sounded again, and Artemis's claws sank deeper, pricking the blonde's flesh. "I-It's charging straight for us!"

"CRESCENT BEAM!"

A yellow shaft of energy exploded from Sailor Venus's pointed finger, lighting up the tunnels for an instant as it burned through the air towards her invisible target. For that instant she saw it, the creature-the youma-a remnant of an invasion that had taken place and been thwarted months ago. She saw grey leathery skin and impossible muscles, and her attack nevertheless burrowing through it all, but that was it before darkness descended again. The youma bellowed and the tunnel shook again, the crunch of a brick wall giving way and clumsy, heavy footfalls, behind its wounded cry.

"It didn't stop it!" Artemis yelled. "Move!"

Sailor Venus flipped backwards, legs scissoring and her hands dipping into the sewer water as she tumbled deftly head over heels, putting space between herself and the youma. Artemis somehow managed to hold on, on the ride of his life, but wasn't above wailing his distress.

The blonde felt the air move behind her as she continued her acrobatics, disturbed by some monstrous limb or appendage. Artemis wailed louder, and Venus wondered a second if the feline would have preferred to be the one who couldn't see in the dark.

"CRESCENT BEAM!"

Sailor Venus fired another blast into the pitch black, her flips becoming cartwheels as she balanced on one hand upside down while still maintaining her hasty retreat. Again there was a flash and a glimpse of a beast, and another howl of agony. But the pounding footsteps and the loud splashes that accompanied them kept coming.

Once upright the girl leapt back, knowing she couldn't keep up her gymnastic feat forever while blind. She wasn't privy to where the tunnel might suddenly turn, and there could be more junk waiting in the water to trip her up. "Artemis!" she shouted.

"Duck!" the cat directed urgently.

Sailor Venus obeyed without the slightest hesitation, her trust in her long-time friend and companion, and his judgement, absolute.

"Step back! Roll left!"

The Senshi of Love could sense the youma's swings, and every time she held her breath, questioning if she'd moved far enough, or heard Artemis correctly. She couldn't keep this up either-it only took a single mistake-and defence without counterattack was doomed to fail sooner or later.

"You should not have come yourself, little Senshi!" the creature spoke, its words virtually said in one long growl. "I have no fear of you! I will not go easily!"

"But you're still gonna go," Sailor Venus quipped cheerily, winking, and hoping the youma could see it.

Apparently it had, for it roared again, and Artemis babbled a variety of commands to keep Venus from being torn apart or crushed, or whatever it was this youma did to its enemies.

"I need an opening, Artemis~!" the blonde nagged in an impatient singsong.

The feline's instructions kept coming, until- "Now! Dive forwards! Low-through its legs!"

Venus did as directed, but wasn't exactly on time in following Artemis's longwinded prompting. She dived, but something sharp cut into her right calf-a claw, a spine-the pain searing, as though she'd been touched with a hot iron. It was not a pain she was unused to, nor was it an injury she had never sustained before in her long past. She ignored it, forcing herself onward through the sewer water, through the youma's legs, sliding past it to the other side of the tunnel.

She heard the creature snarl over her shoulder; however the murderous anger in its voice was replaced with furious panic.

"It's stuck!" Artemis squeaked excitedly. "It's too big to turn around! Go, Minako~!"

"CRESCENT BEAM SHOWER!"

The ray of light from the Senshi of Love's fingertip split apart into an array of beams-a barrage true to its name as it peppered the youma's defenceless back. She caught a look at its face during the lightshow-its giant, hairless head, peering over a meaty shoulder, and its one large milky eye above a slimy maw. And that solitary eye's incredulity before a streak of energy melted clean through it and out the other side of the youma's skull, just one of several bolts that speared the creature's hide.

"It's... It's down..." Artemis breathed with relief, pawing up the girl's shoulder to collapse over it. "It's over. You did it."

Sailor Venus slowly lowered her outstretched hand and allowed herself a heavy, relieved sigh too. Score one for the good guys. Then she recalled the victim in all this. "Where's the... the guy or whatever? The person it was carrying?"

"Oh... I saw him get thrown over there. Um, turn around, walk about... fifteen steps?"

Following Artemis's guidance yet again, Venus located the homeless man the youma had kidnapped, tossed aside like garbage... or a hunk of meat. He had probably been destined for the creature's belly. She would never really know, however; not tonight at any rate. She had blown it. There could be a nest of hungry youma survivors preying on the populace down here; there could be not just one but half a dozen; a *dozen*; *more*; but she didn't know one way or the other. It was a failure on Venus's part; in the old days she wouldn't have dropped the ball so badly. But at least one life had been saved.

"Is he okay?" Sailor Venus asked.

"He's breathing, but unconscious. He's got a head wound..."

"Better safe than sorry then." It meant an ambulance. "I don't think I'll get a signal down here." She sighed. "It's going to be a pain dragging this guy all the way back." And then there was the manhole's ladder! It wasn't like she was some big burly fireman. It would go over better with the authorities if the man wasn't found deep in the tunnels, though. "You just lie there, of course," Venus said dryly to her longsuffering cat on her shoulder, knowing perfectly well there wasn't anything he could do to help out.

"Minako..." Artemis whined guiltily nonetheless.

Sailor Venus's fuku vanished in a shower of orange sparkles, and the girl reverted back to plain old Minako Aino, the blonde that was drenched in people's bodily waste. She felt for the homeless man's arms and tucked hers underneath his, then began the arduous task of hauling his lifeless butt to the manhole opening. Minako grunted a lot, and muttered complaints, but inside she was thankful. Every life was important, and she'd made a difference tonight. If only every night could be as blessed.

But she prayed her bumbling hadn't damned future nights, and condemned other people to grim fates. And she prayed that Eiji wasn't one of those people.

* * *

Chamista gritted her pointed teeth, her lips curling back in annoyance as she breathed a sharp sigh. She sensed the presence instead of actually seeing it with her eyes, for the latter were bathed in beauty that she was not inclined to turn away from, especially not for *her*. "What?" she tersely demanded, speaking through her clenched fangs; otherwise fixated on her study. The crystal garden glistened before her; irresistible; almost whispering to her, *pleading* for her attention. It was constantly growing. You had to watch closely, but new spires sprouted and existing shards slowly lengthened; dark flowers budding and blooming. Its appetite had grown as well. There was no end to the number of humans it was willing to consume; if the pace could not be kept perhaps youma too would have to be sacrificed. The useless ones, of course. The weak and the dissenters; those that could be spared. Yes... they would better serve that way.

"One did not come back," Shuthiru said quietly, and meekly. It was an insult that she and Chamista were the same species-they were nothing alike. Shuthiru cowered where Chamista stood proud, and was a disease for the eyes while Chamista was ambrosia for every sense. Shuthiru's dirty yellow hair was too like a human's, her eyes were an ugly shade of jade, her tail was thick and stubby-in fact, she was probably the runt of her litter, with her stunted horns and diminutive body. It was fortunate for her that Chamista was so generous, allowing her to serve someone far greater than she, and in that, allowing her a chance at survival. "Heupheus."

"I don't know who that is," Chamista gruffly replied. "A deserter?"

"It is unlikely. He was part of Lord Khairephon's army."

In other words, 'Heupheus' had been a blood-crazed maniac, like nearly all of that slain demon's former soldiers. Not a deserter then-those youma were too dumb for freethinking; fighting and dying was what they did, following their Lord into any manner of abyss, screaming joyously even as certain doom descended upon them. They should have been grateful Chamista now led them; their deaths would have value at last.

"Then..." Chamista murmured. "Jadeite!" she immediately summoned, finally pulling herself from the purple crystals and the ethereal glowing in their facets. "Where are you? *Come*!"

From the deep shadows in the back rooms the human came, and for a moment the image of him seemed unclear, as though Chamista were seeing him through liquid. But there was no mistaking the youma's hound. She may have loosened his leash a bit, but *only* a bit.

"The Sailor Senshi. You said you would take care of them."

"I did, and I am," Jadeite said, barely veiled resentment in his voice. Hmph. His tongue would lead him astray one day. If he didn't need it, Chamista would have bitten it out and made a meal of it by now.

"Then *why* has my horde been weakened? *Why* do I have less one youma at my disposal? Tell me this!"

"If you have a need, then take a replacement." Jadeite, unflappable as ever, made a flourish, extending an arm towards the crystal garden. "You have many to choose from. However, picking a flower before it has fully blossomed... Suffice to say I can't guarantee its majesty."

Chamista followed his arm, looking back at the crystal shards erupting from the ground. So that's what it was. An army indeed. Yet there was something else about it... something more. It had a connection to the earth it grew from... something ancient. Something powerful. Power and mystery-two of Chamista's favourite things.

"Away, human," the youma spat, satisfied for the time being. She turned to Shuthiru. "Bring me half of tonight's catch," Chamista ordered.

Shuthiru bowed, and then shuffled off towards where the cattle had been gathered, snivelling and trembling as they all seemed to do in the presence of their betters. At least there wasn't a shortage of humans. They always seemed ripe for the taking.

* * *

To be continued...

Author's ramblings:

I figured I'd use 'Big Sis' in place of onee-san.

Sailor fuku = the Sailor suit outfit


	6. Places to Be

Past Lives - By Kirika

* * *

The fifth chapter. Pretty much a scene setter.

- Kirika

* * *

Chapter 5 - Places To Be

"I'd never been so embarrassed! She looked at me weird all day in class-and this scarf makes it *so* obvious! Oh, how about this one?"

Flighty as ever, Usagi's most recent drama was temporarily put aside as she plucked the latest piece of jewellery to have caught her eye from the wall-encompassing rack she had grazed in front of for the last fifteen minutes, though it felt like thirty to Rei. The blonde turned around to face the miko and held up the earrings together with their awkward cardboard backing to her left ear. She cocked her head to one side, no doubt aiming for some sort of 'natural' pose to help the other girl better visualise her wearing them for real; however the stiff craning of her neck and arch of her back were at odds with that.

"They're nice," Rei responded on cue, feeling as if she had said the same not ten seconds earlier to a different set, and not to mention many times before then to other presented trinkets.

Usagi took the earrings down from her ear and looked at them in her hand, unconvinced. "Maybe..." she mumbled, before returning them to the rack, her eyes already searching amongst its friends for something else to kindle her interest. Flighty as ever.

It was Friday after five in the afternoon-the end of the school week. It hadn't always been the case; Saturday hadn't always been the haven for high schoolers it was now. But times change, and no one, not even Ami, was for complaining about it. The weekend was finally whole, and with no classes to put a damper on the respite or loom over a Friday evening, Rei and Usagi were doing what girls and guys their age were doing all over Japan-enjoying the free time.

Fresh from class still in their respective uniforms and carrying their schoolbags, Usagi had led Rei into Harajuku, bent for trawling the shops for a fashion-related bargain like so many, *many*, other girls were if the crowds of sailor suits and blazers they'd had to fight through were any indication. The odango atama could have simply utilised her Disguise Pen to slake her desires, sparing them the legwork and hit to their savings, but Rei supposed there was no substitute for owning the genuine articles, or for the fun of the shopping experience itself. And Rei didn't have her own handy dandy Disguise Pen after all. Still, the 'fun' was beginning to wear-any kind of fun would after this ordeal.

Rei liked shopping for pretty jewellery and cool clothes as much as the next girl, but everyone had their limit-and the trouble was Usagi didn't seem to have one. The raven-haired teenager had lost count of how many stores' thresholds they had crossed, and she couldn't even consider coming up with a number for how many different tops, skirts, dresses, bracelets, necklaces, rings, earrings, and whatever else they had browsed at length. The typically lazy blonde had stamina for the things she loved, the miko gave her that. Meanwhile Rei's interest in finding a new outfit or two or a choice bracelet for herself had waned, if not crumbled altogether. She found her thoughts wandering, thinking about the chores that awaited her back at the Hikawa Jinja; what her Grandpa would prepare for dinner; homework she had to do before Monday... and the fruitless investigation into Roppongi's missing people yesterday night.

The last came back into her mind the most and lingered the longest. The Fire Senshi and her Princess had danced as far into the witching hours as curfews would allow, however the fabled ghosts and devils hadn't materialised. Rei couldn't help but question if the dark lurkers she had envisioned indeed *were* fabled; that she had seen the shadows of monsters when all there had been were coincidental shapes. People went missing all the time. It was a sad fact of life. Nevertheless, the Senshi of Fire had only been out there two nights, and only on one of those occasions actively looking for something amiss. Rei *did* toy with giving up; to favour the shuteye for both her and Usagi over the tired walks home in the cold night air wearing smoky and sweaty clothes. It was no lie that it would come as a relief-her grades and her Princess's protective father would thank her. But it was too soon. Rei had to be sure.

"Maybe it was all in your head," Rei murmured absently. Her amethyst eyes stared, but the jewellery store's displays around her that captivated Usagi so went unseen. "With Naru, I mean," she added after a pregnant moment.

Usagi scoffed as though the miko had spouted the most outrageous nonsense, but still managed to keep focused on her shopping, painstakingly raising herself up on tiptoes to peer behind the higher rows of earring packs. "You were there! She asked about my neck. And when she realised... She's not stupid!" The blonde sighed theatrically as she dropped back onto her heels, a click of her tongue punctuating her landing. "I thought I told you to stop being a big pervert."

"Technically we were alone..." the raven-haired girl droned distantly in reply. Usagi had been upset ever since Naru had spotted the little 'present' Rei had inflicted upon her neck at Muse the other night; even in the low light and frenetic atmosphere the redhead had noticed the blemish on her friend's skin that hadn't been there at the start of the evening. It had led to some... awkwardness... but Usagi was making it out to be the scandal of the century.

"Ugh, Rei!" Usagi scoffed once more, expressing clearly what she thought of the other girl's reasoning.

"It *was* dark," Rei tried again. She then smiled slyly, suddenly more attentive for the moment. "Anyway, I don't remember you fighting me off at the time."

Usagi turned her head to frown at the Senshi of Passion and fiddle with her scarf hiding her hickey, before returning to finding her potential new earrings hanging somewhere in the store. "Why don't you look for something too?" she said, the change of subject the only sign of victory Rei would receive. That, and Usagi's pink cheeks.

"I don't see anything I like." The jewellery store wasn't exactly upscale; it was the cheap stuff, quantity over quality; full of tacky trinkets and charms of cut glass, plastic, and shiny parts to catch the eye-and low prices to keep them there. The sort of knockoffs that were liable to break sooner rather than later yet still sucker eager girls in with their pocket money. Rei wasn't above such ploys despite her cynicism-it wasn't like she or Usagi had the cash for the real deal after all-but she held onto her right to be picky regardless. It took the exceptional, the prize find, to attract her. Something special.

"Come on, Rei," her love whined. "Don't be boring. Don't you want to try something flashier than studs?" She looked over her shoulder at the Fire Senshi and smiled brightly. "It'll be a change!"

Rei tucked some long dark locks behind her ear, one said trademark stud twinkling red under the shop's lights. It held that light better than any of the junk masquerading as gems on any shelf or rack. "I'll be boring," she said.

Usagi made a huffy face but let it go. She knew Rei well enough to know that some arguments had certain defeat written all over them.

"Are you done yet?" Rei groaned as the blonde turned back to the display rack, the Senshi of Passion's thinning patience causing her words to be hard and backed by heavy sighing.

"*No*," Usagi retorted just as intensely. "I still have *this* row, and then *this* whole section here, and then-"

Rei sighed again. After several minutes had crawled by she abruptly pulled her mobile phone out from her skirt pocket, flipped it open, selected Minako's name, and hit call. "I'm going to see if anybody wants to join us," she said as she brought the phone to her ear. With the extra company it might go faster or see to rein Usagi in, or failing that at least Rei could share the suffering. With the weekend on the horizon instead of another school day the Inner Senshi didn't always meet up at the Hikawa Jinja after Friday's classes were finished, the homework able to wait. In fact, lately, they rarely did. Change had rippled through their group-it was different now; Rei and Usagi had each other as Ami and Makoto did, and Minako had her budding career that monopolised a great deal of her free time. They each had their own thing, each needing their own space from time to time.

"Okay, but I think Minako has a gig or whatever."

Rei roughly hit disconnect and picked Ami's name instead, her thumb stabbing the phone's keys with way more pressure than required. Inviting the Senshi of Wisdom more often than not meant inviting the Senshi of Courage as well, or visa-versa-they were one in the same these days. Rei could understand.

"What do you think of these ones?"

The phone rang and rang, but Rei was eventually dumped to voicemail. Resisting the impulse to start it with yet another beleaguered sigh, she left a quick message, wondering if her frustration would bleed across the airwaves.

"With this pair I like the pink, but this pair's design is better."

Maybe she should send Minako a text message too, just in case she was available now and had nothing to do. It couldn't hurt.

"Rei? What do you think? Rei? *Rei*! You're not looking! Pay attention to me~!" Usagi wailed.

"I'm looking, I'm looking!" Rei exclaimed, though she didn't tear her gaze away from her phone's screen.

"You're not! Take this seriously! This is *important*~!"

Before the miko could finish her text to the Senshi of Beauty, her phone chimed, a response from Ami arriving. It said what deep down Rei had been expecting-Ami-and Makoto-would like to be by themselves right now. The blue-haired girl expressed it in equal measures of apology and tact, but the crux of the message was clear. Rei smiled softly, her eyes ruefully half-lidded and lowered. She closed her phone gently in her hand. She had lost sight for an instant, letting distraction and pet peeves cloud her to where she was and what company she had. Ultimately did Rei want to be here? Was she thankful to be here? The answer was never in doubt, but the questions should not have been forgotten.

Rei looked up and slipped her phone away. Usagi stood before her; two pairs of earrings dangled at either ear. She was looking expectantly at the raven-haired girl. "The left one," Rei said, waving a brief pointed finger at it. "The blue sparkles with your eyes."

Her Princess grinned, her prior irritation as if it had never been. "You think?" she said excitedly, before dashing to the narrow mirror near the display rack to judge for herself.

Rei watched on indulgently. She sighed a final time, this one in resignation. In the past she would have sacrificed anything for this ease and affection between her and her Princess; for the blonde's sole company; for Usagi to choose her and her alone to spend her time with. Rei had agonised over it; wished earnestly against all the odds; kept that secret inside her next to her heart, never believing it would be yet hoping still for the dream to come true. The pain of back then was over, put aside, but when it *was* remembered it should not be remembered lightly. To take what she had now for granted... No, how could she ever. Rei's temper habitually led her astray, but this was one wayward track she would not near. Usagi could be positively maddening that had Rei want to tear her own hair out; however there was nothing the blonde could do that would make Rei forget she loved her and that every second with her was a miracle, a treasure, the dream that that yearning, beaten girl in the past had begged and bled for.

"I should get a bracelet or something to match these!"

"Take your time, odango atama," Rei said. "Take all the time you need."

And Usagi did. Did she ever. But Rei remained there with her, sharing the experience, savouring her companionship and its highs and lows. She let slip from her mind the troubles of Roppongi and any responsibilities that awaited her elsewhere. Instead she luxuriated in the here and now with Usagi as she would forever, the dream her reality. Nonetheless, the Senshi of Fire and Passion still let the snarky remarks and sarcastic jibes pass her lips every so often, receiving them in kind from her argumentative Princess. That was just the way they were. That was the way they liked it. A love that was positively maddening.

Usagi sauntered out of the store happy, some new additions for her jewellery box at home packed carefully away in her schoolbag-and Rei not a step behind her. Walking down the street together an arcade snapped up the blonde's capricious interest next, games designed to seize upon even the most casual of interests strategically disgorged halfway onto the sidewalk, in an unavoidable line of sight for passersby. Naturally the odango atama had been powerless.

Usagi grinned, and with a burst of eagerness scuttled over to a UFO catcher, peering through the large glass box at the plushies inside all at the mercy of the mechanical claw hovering above them. The prizes were the soft and cute counterparts of farm and zoo animals, with a handful of sea creatures thrown in; every one of them seeming to plead for you to liberate them with their large eyes. "I know which one I'm going for," Usagi, would-be rescuer, announced, the determination in her voice causing Rei's eyes to roll.

Usagi dumped her schoolbag on the ground at the foot of the machine without so much as a glance, crackled her knuckles, and then slammed a hundred yen coin into the game's coin slot. She wrestled with the controls immediately after, the UFO's 'catcher' claw whirring as it moved predictably sluggishly around the glass box's ceiling. The deep focus on Usagi's face suggested an epic struggle against a bitter enemy instead of the very likely vain pursuit for a cheap toy.

Rei sighed quietly and picked up her Princess's bag to hold for the blonde, and then leaned with her back against the plush toy prison. "Again!" she heard her girlfriend cry defiantly an instant later, followed by the jingle of another coin being eaten by the machine. Rei might be in for another lengthy wait.

"Excuse us."

Rei turned her head to realise a group of high school girls wanted to enter the arcade, and she was blocking the way.

"Sorry," the miko said with an accommodating smile, straightening from her slouch to allow the girls to walk past her. The lead girl smiled back, and she and her group joined with the rows of bright and loud pay-to-play gaming machines inside the arcade.

"Who were they?"

Rei turned around to meet the suspicious frown of her Princess. Usagi's hands were still on the UFO catcher's controls, but they were as still as the machine's claw.

"Huh?" Rei blinked and looked momentarily to where the girls had gone. "Oh. Nobody."

"Were they from your school?"

Rei opened her mouth to reply-and then her expression became deadpan, her gaze weary. Her fanclub. She had wondered when Usagi would bring this up; there had been no chance the odango atama would leave it alone. Rei supposed it was a marvel her girlfriend had held her tongue as long as she had; the 'hickey drama' probably had something to do with that, however. "Usagi, they had *completely* different uniforms from mine," the raven-haired girl said dryly.

Usagi stared at her, and Rei stared back, until the blonde's face started to twitch. "So? I don't know what lengths they might go to!" she finally squealed, startling several pedestrians nearby. Her once firm expression disintegrated, comical panic and despair beneath. "A-And you're by yourself *all* day in that school, with *them*, defenceless!"

"I'm hardly defenceless," Rei said levelly.

"How do I know? *Any*thing could be happening there!" Usagi wailed, tossing her arms up in the air as though simulating the alleged abandon going on. "They're probably *all* over you, shamelessly throwing themselves at you!"

Rei raised an eyebrow. Her Princess made it sound like the T*A Private Girls' School was in reality an all-you-can-eat buffet, with Rei as the only, and favourite, dish.

"With everyone there you... you probably don't even remember me..." Usagi said softly, glancing aside and down at the sidewalk. She dropped to the ground, sitting there forlornly on her heels, her arms hugging her knees.

"Usagi..." The Senshi of Passion breathed out her love's name at length, the tragic humour in the other girl's antics no longer there.

Rei sank to one knee in front of her Princess and gently cupped a cheek, lifting the blonde's head to view her face. "Everything I..." she began, but stopped, swallowing. She smiled, donning a faraway look. "You have to know," she simply said.

The vulnerable blue eyes stared into amethyst pools... and Rei was certain Usagi saw. She was certain she *felt* it. To doubt Rei, to disbelieve her feelings, her loyalty; it was... It should never be in question. After all this time, after everything they'd been through-Rei's love was the one guarantee, the one sure thing, in this life. It was beyond truth. It was absolute. How could Rei not remember her Princess? There hadn't been a day since confronting how she felt about her best friend when Usagi hadn't been on her mind... and in her heart.

"I know. I'm being stupid. I trust you..." Usagi solemnly admitted. Then she frowned again, and clambered over Rei to poke her head around the UFO catcher and glare into the interior of the arcade, no doubt after the 'innocent' group of girls. "It's *them* I don't trust!" Turning back to the Fire Senshi, the blonde gazed at her earnestly. "Rei, have you thought about transferring to Juuban High?" Usagi asked in all seriousness.

Rei's countenance became longsuffering once more, and she abruptly stood up, leaving the odango atama slightly off balance and flailing down there on her heels. She did think about transferring, likely more than Usagi realised. She daydreamed about it. But she wouldn't desert what had been her school for years because of a few out of hand infatuations and a slightly insecure odango atama. "Let's get out of here."

"Wait, I..." Usagi manoeuvred herself over to the UFO catcher machine's prize deposit slot and shoved her hand inside. Like from the proverbial hat, out popped a white furry bunny rabbit in her grasp. "Ta-dah!" she proclaimed, springing to her feet as though mimicking her namesake and catch, while holding the latter in front of her chest.

"I think the pig was more right for you," Rei teased.

"Hey!" Usagi scowled. "Anyway, I won this for you." She grinned, holding out the bunny towards the raven-haired girl.

"Something to remind me of you?" Rei commented as she took the furry plush toy, studying it. How many hundred yen coins had this ended up costing her?

"I thought you didn't need reminding!" Usagi scolded, but was soon all smiles again.

"My hero." Rei leaned forwards and kissed her girlfriend on her lips; quick and simple; yet it still caused a flutter in Senshi hearts.

Usagi blushed, turning quiet and shy but looking pleased with herself. Then all of a sudden her eyes opened wide, eyebrows lifting, and she took a sharp breath.

"What-?" Rei started, her head turning to look behind her at whatever had agitated the blonde so. But not a split second later she felt her Princess's slender fingers around her wrist, before the rude jolt of the girl pulling on her arm, propelling her several stumbled steps forward. "Ah-! Wai-!" the miko stuttered as she anxiously fought to stay steady on her feet, all the while led by her outstretched arm and Usagi's nuttiness.

Usagi dragged her behind the UFO catcher, and then crouched down behind its solid lower half where the game's inner workings were, hauling the raven-haired girl down alongside her. "Shhh!" she shushed, a pointed finger pressed against her lips. "We're being watched!" With great care she raised her head to the UFO catcher's glass top, staring through it at something, before quickly ducking back. "I can't believe it!" she said in a low, breathy, and animated voice. "It's the real deal!"

"What are you even-?" Rei began, shaking her head slightly at the wackiness. She tried to stand up and see for herself what was on the other side of the arcade machine, but was immediately grabbed and held in place by her paranoid girlfriend.

"It's *them*! *They*! Men in black! Government spooks! Secret agents!"

Rei heaved a massive, exaggerated sigh, and the tension that had built up from Usagi's strange behaviour relaxed all at once. Government spooks-her father's doing. She had been so used to their pestering she had forgotten all about them.

"I totally know it! They stick out like sore thumbs!"

"Yeah, I know. They've been following me since yesterday," Rei casually remarked, but not without a bit of irritation.

Usagi stared at the Fire Senshi, her mouth hanging open as if a bombshell had been dropped. Perhaps one had; what was normal to Rei; daughter of an oppressive Diet member; wasn't to most everybody else. "*What*?" the blonde eventually managed.

"This isn't a spy movie, odango atama," Rei lightly chastised as she got more comfortable sitting up against the UFO catcher, one knee drawn to her chest. "It's just my father's way of... getting my attention. Your father uses the phone; mine deploys the troops. It's not a big deal. Just ignore them."

"Oh," was all Usagi said, slumping beside Rei, the excitement apparently over. She seemed at a loss for words.

Rei laboriously ran her fingers through her fringe of dark locks, her mood gradually plummeting. Usually she ignored her father's lackeys until they gathered the courage to approach her-at which point she would shoot them down with as few-but no uncertain-words exchanged as humanly possible. But they knew the score despite her father's ignorance; the futility of reaching out to her. Theirs was a pointless assignment and they likely were as tired of this dance as Rei was. She may as well put them out of their misery now and give her father the answer she consistently had for him. "I'll get rid of them."

"Wait," Usagi said, touching the other girl's forearm to stop her. Tentatively she pulled her hand back after Rei did as she was bidden, but then looked up and put on a bright smile. "That's not what you're supposed to do in this scenario." Usagi winked at Rei and once she had taken back her schoolbag from her, she slowly and tenderly interlocked her fingers with the Senshi of Passion's, before gently tugging the girl onto her feet with her.

Rei flashed her love a quizzical look; however Usagi's smile, that was adopting a more and more mischievous slant, proved it was infectious, steadily drawing the raven-haired girl's mouth upwards in kind.

"You're meant to lose them!" Usagi suddenly yelled, and took off in a mad dash out from behind the UFO catcher and down the street, hauling a surprised but gleeful Rei after her.

They ran and ran, weaving between nonplussed and startled pedestrians, the wind in their long hair and laughter on their lips, Rei and doubtless Usagi as well imagining the faces of the miko's father's flunkies behind them. Soon Rei forgot why they were running-she forgot everything except who she was with, and how it felt to be with her; how it felt to love and be loved by her. It was the way it should be; the way it should always be. After all, why would Rei want to think about anything or anyone else.

* * *

Minako stood alone in the centre of the expansive studio, feeling practically every goosebump pucker on her skin. Slowly. The chill was inconsistent with the heat the fabricated beach scene projected a little ways to her left, the cartoonish sand and sea backdrop with fluffy clouds and cutesie airborne aquatic creatures-the latter seeming quite happy about their relocation, which was kind of eerie-brightly lit under photography lamp sunlight; a slice of colour in an otherwise surgical white room. The Senshi of Beauty was dressed for the facade unfortunately, in an orange bikini and-okay, not actually ideal for hiking dunes-pumps. Her display of skin didn't bother her-it was the name of the game after all-but that cold... It had her eyeing a robe slung over a chair near the makeup station constantly, while she argued with herself whether she should risk going for it for comfort's sake. She was already being hammered under almost everybody's gaze and was unsure if at this stage she had any right to move a single muscle. The less attention she brought on herself the better. Minako even tried her best not to shiver noticeably, lest she give the photographer something else to scream about. Would her goose pimples show up under a camera lens? That was *if* she got to stand on the pretend beach and go through with her shoot today...

"Ruined! *Ruined*! Just... just *ruined*!"

"Ahh... ah... I assure you, it- it was unintentional..."

Minako winced as the photographer's shrill voice raised another octave, echoing around the studio to bombard her from all sides; however the wince wasn't for her own sake. She was used to yelling. Her longsuffering mother yelled at her longsuffering father whenever the mood would take her, and then at 'lazy', 'underachieving' Minako who was apparently destined to be a reflection of him-though the girl's mother didn't yell so much nowadays with this new flashy gig of hers, such that it was-and at school there was no shortage of teachers that had a bone to pick with the Senshi of Love and that were more than willing to loudly express it. Even her friends sometimes got frustrated with her. Minako was used to being in trouble-it was mud off a pig's back. It was pig, wasn't it?

What the Inner Senshi didn't like was when other people were burnt in place of her. Minako was routinely called irresponsible and unreliable, but there were some aspects of her life where she did not compromise. The things that counted, that *mattered*; that weren't the trivial concerns of the everyday-when the world was crumbling down around everyone's ears, you could bet on Minako to be there with glue.

That commitment *had* led her into this predicament however, and had dumped Mr. Kats, her manager-who might be reconsidering his 'good' fortune to sign her right about now-into the firing line. It was strange for someone to actually come to her defence in a verbal battering-probably because the blonde was so habitually guilty. In Mr. Kats case it just made Minako feel bad-worse. Ironically her efforts to help him last night, or specifically find a trace of his missing brother, had caused this mess now. But what stung the most was that so far those efforts had ended in failure.

Last night had been a long one, robbing the Senshi of Love of much of her beauty sleep. If not for stealing naps in class, Minako would have dark circles under her eyes to bug the photographer with as well. But bags or no bags, the night owl life was normal for a Sailor Senshi, and second nature to Sailor V. The blonde had trudged home a scant couple of hours before sunup, the stench of the sewers clinging to her all the way to her front door. Getting that pong out of her hair had involved many, many, lathers, rinses, and repeats. Her hair, her clothes, and her body had been introduced to smells and slimes she'd never imagined in her worst nightmares from the extra hours she'd dedicated to patrolling Tokyo's septic tunnels, searching for more youma; a bestial footprint, an alien sound, *anything*-anything for another potential lead to more victims, and Eiji. Minako's nose would never be the same, and it had been sacrificed for nothing. She, and Artemis whose whiskered nose had suffered with her, had found nothing. The Guardian Senshi hoped that meant the peckish youma had been a solitary rogue simply praying on easy targets for its survival... although that didn't make her feel much better about Eiji. He might have been one of those easy targets before Minako had slain the creature.

Further exploring Tokyo's warrens had had the added bonus of keeping Minako a step ahead of the ambulance she'd called, and more importantly ahead of any other authorities that might have tagged along with the EMTs. While her relationship with the metro police wasn't as strained as it had been when she'd been tweaking their noses-so *they* said-as the 'outlaw' Sailor V, it had become a natural instinct for her to dodge men and women with badges and power, just to be on the safe side. Trouble had a way of riding on her shoulders after all.

For the man the Senshi of Beauty *had* come to the rescue of, there hadn't been any failure. Minako had spouted a quick tale over the phone to the emergency services of him having fallen down a manhole carelessly left uncovered in the park, saving her the frankly virtually impossible ordeal of carrying the man up to the surface from the sewers herself, while at the same time providing a good excuse for how he got his head injury. The youma's body slumped nearby had decayed within moments, a reaction to the air in death or something that every one of the creatures seemed to share, wiping clean the only real evidence of what crazy event had actually taken place. The status quo endured another day, and everyone got to go on with their lives-most of all the man Minako had saved. He'd no doubt never know what had happened and *almost* happened to him, and that a blonde girl wielding light and love as weapons had been his saviour. That was just the way it was though, and glory, recognition, or even a simple thank you for her deeds was unsought and unneeded. The latter was more than just how it was-it was how it was meant to be.

Minako caught the other two models that were meant to join her in this shoot out of the corner of her eye glaring at her, heaping the blame for their photographer's fit unabashedly on her. They probably blamed her for everything that had gone wrong in their lives today. Nevertheless, the blonde offered them all sheepish looks and submissive dips of her head, despite knowing such acts of contrition would do nothing to sweeten their faces. The status quo at work again... that, and ingrained snooty attitudes.

"Look at her! How the hell am I supposed to keep *that* out of my shots?"

The curt photographer squatted at Minako's feet, his hands thrusting out to frame the girl's calf injury accusingly in time with his exclamation-the source of the afternoon's drama, and a memento of the Senshi's battle last night. It didn't hurt, but it sure itched-the bandages were a bit prickly. They were wrapped around Minako's leg, holding the gauze pad over a collection of gashes the youma had torn in her with... its talons, the Senshi guessed. Who knows what it had been in that darkness, but you could put money on it having been rife with disease and other general ickiness-nothing a heaping of smarting antiseptic burn couldn't cure, however. The blonde was rather handy with a first aid kit, what with all her experience in patching herself up over the rough and tumble years of being a Sailor Senshi. This wound was pretty trivial-scratches; unsightly; but that was about it.

Still enough to screw up a photoshoot when you were one of the models, though.

"Ahh... Ahhh..." Mr Kats dithered standing close by, wringing his sweat-sodden handkerchief between his pudgy hands while he stared transfixed by the offending injury on Minako's leg. The girl's manager was no doubt thinking of an excuse or the perfect thing to say that would downplay the drama-or praying for a miraculous recovery. He was out of luck though-that miraculous recovery would come tomorrow, or the next day, but no sooner. A Sailor Senshi healed fast, but not that fast.

"Her leg is *fucked*! Now I'm supposed to do this with *two* girls only? *Two* girls isn't enough! The shoot is for *three* models, *three* outfits each, over *three* pages!" the photographer screeched, stabbing a pointed finger into his open palm with every weighted word. "Who's going to wear those other three outfits? And they're *swimsuits* damn it! I can't even try to cover this leg shit up! Graah!"

"I apologise, I apologise!" Mr. Kats squeaked, bowing profusely, almost bending in half.

"It's too late to get a replacement!" the photographer kept shouting. "Amateurs! Some people are just not cut out for this business!"

Minako sighed through her teeth and looked away. She wished Setsuna was here. The woman would sort this guy out real quick.

"Can't you just... use fancy angles to keep the bandages out of the shot? Or use photoshop afterwards? You know, airbrushing or whatever?"

Minako's head turned with Mr. Kats' and the photographer's towards the newcomer, his laidback voice literally the one of reason, and the one everyone, or at least in the case of the photographer, had been needing to hear. But it quieted everyone, not just the irate photographer, winning over everyone's attention as the 'crisis' was rationalised with level-headed simplicity.

"I mean... you can totally do that, right?" the young guy said, speaking over Mr. Kats shoulder. Minako remembered him from her manager's office; he had been in jeans and a t-shirt then, but wore a suit like his boss now. He wore it better than the other man.

"I suppose," the photographer grunted. He looked at the Senshi of Beauty, scowling hard for a moment, but then sniffed. "She *is* very pretty."

The young man grinned. What was his name again?

"Nice save, Souda," Mr. Kats groaned as the photographer left for his cameras, snapping at his staff to get ready, despite them having been for the past ten minutes. His tirade had probably been nothing new to them-maybe even anticipated.

"That's what you pay me for," Souda smirked, running a hand through his long brown hair that hung over half his face-his handsome face.

"Yay for computers," Minako said absently, gazing at 'Souda'.

"It would've been a waste if our talent didn't get a chance to shine today."

The blonde returned the smile the young guy flashed her way, finding herself a touch shy while doing so. With a smile like that *he* should be the one 'shining' today.

"You have to be more careful, Minako," Mr. Kats whined. "Your body is precious now; you can't go around getting bit by dogs."

"I'm sure she didn't go looking to be some dog's chewtoy," Souda chuckled.

Minako looked at her manager's kind and concerned face and felt that sting of failure again. It had been within her power, but she had let him down. The feeling had nothing to do with her modelling career.

The girl bowed deeply. "I'm sorry," she said soberly. Sadly she sensed she would be apologising again to him in the future, only at his brother's funeral.

But not before. And not if she could help it.

* * *

Makoto glowered at the page in front of her, the complex union of numbers and Greek letters a worthier foe than you would imagine. Who knew math would involve more than numbers-and another language! Maybe eventually she would reach a stage when the numbers were phased out completely? That just seemed too weird to be called math anymore. Wait, she had to concentrate. Focus. What had Ami done again? Take the derivative and... Come on, she knew this.

The brunette released a somewhat frustrated breath and began tapping the end of her pencil on her coffee table over and over, her hand gripped by an anxious tic. A second frustrated breath and the pencil's point shifted the drumbeat to over the mystifying equations and formulae, a swiftly growing sum of graphite marks dotting the paper. However no amount of knocking on Makoto's part coaxed the problems into unravelling their intricacies for her strained brain; truly it was like they were in another language.

Makoto's pencil stopped suddenly as she looked surreptitiously at the blue-haired girl sitting beside her on her sofa. She watched the girl for a while as she quietly jotted away on her own question sheet, the smooth and elegant strokes of her pencil making sense of the gibberish it asked of her. Makoto leaned slightly closer, taking a peek at the sheet, before drawing back even more confounded and beleaguered than earlier. They were in different calibres of math classes which meant different calibres of homework, but it was like fishcakes next to lobster thermidor. Ami was in a league of her own. Math *was* one of Ami's best and most favourite subjects though... but to be honest, she was good at every academic undertaking.

The Senshi of Courage looked back at her own page. She felt a bit pathetic and defeated that she couldn't handle *this*. And after Ami had patiently devoted so much time to tutoring her, too. Certainly Makoto's math ability had improved, but it appeared many, many steps still separated her from her teacher.

"Having difficulty?"

Makoto smiled quickly at the sound of her girlfriend's inquisitive and patient voice, and turned her head to look at the Senshi of Water once again, openly this time. "Ahh..." she hesitated, ashamed to be letting Ami down. But it couldn't be helped. She sighed. "...Yeah," the brunette ruefully admitted, then ducked her head sheepishly.

Ami was all smiles however. "It's alright," she said, reaching out to lay her hand reassuringly on Makoto's forearm. "It's what I'm here for."

Makoto exhaled heavily and slumped back into the sofa. "I just don't want to come running to you whenever I hit a roadblock. How will I ever learn myself?"

"It's not as if I simply give you the correct answer," Ami replied rather impishly, before becoming more serious. "Asking for help is sometimes a hard thing to do, but sometimes it's the only thing you *can* do. And in that case it's also usually the smart thing to do." The smaller girl relaxed back into the sofa's softness alongside the brunette, close enough that their arms and legs touched. "There's only so much one can learn from stagnation, never moving forward."

Makoto turned her head towards Ami as the other Senshi did likewise towards her, and after gazing at one another for a moment, they both grinned at the same time. Ami was wise. Ami was right. Ami was always those things. The Senshi of Wisdom had plenty of her namesake to go around, and her girlfriend in particular was always inclined to listen... more often than not.

Makoto took a long resigned breath, but her grin remained. "I guess we should get to it then?"

Ami nodded with slightly exaggerated sageness, holding up her mechanical pencil a little too eagerly. It wasn't the first occasion she'd intimately guided Makoto's schoolwork, nor was it likely to be the last. It wouldn't be a surprise to learn she enjoyed it.

Both teenagers leaned forwards to hover over the coffee table again, and over the Senshi of Thunder's tricky math homework. After asking which equations were giving Makoto problems, Ami began the step-by-step process of breaking them down into an easy-to-understand solution that practically a preschooler could follow-which was fortunate for Makoto. Ami really was a wonder. Forever patient; never testy when Makoto would ask additional questions or couldn't quite grasp a concept; and full of praise when the other girl would solve an equation for herself while under her caring eye. Schoolwork had amazingly become a pleasure for Makoto. Well, when Ami was around at any rate.

"And here we use the chain rule-"

Ami's pencil-wielding hand brushed Makoto's over the math questionnaire and abruptly her explanation waned. The hand lingered where it was against the other girl's, neither making to move away. The girls shared a look, volumes spoken in green and blue-something undefinable by any formula, function, or system in academia; or in any circle of existence. Some things weren't meant to be explained. Some things didn't have to be. Some things simply were. But regularly Makoto thought about what had led her here, to this place, to this feeling, this girl; this... love.

It hadn't been planned. Makoto hadn't one day decided that Ami was for her, that her friend had been everything she'd been looking for in her life. She hadn't worked at it, hadn't been infatuated by her beauty or personality, hadn't pursued her-Ami had just been there, another Guardian Senshi, her friend; maybe a closer friend than the other Sailor Senshi, but still just a friend.

Yet Ami had felt something. Ami had felt *it*. That extra connection that went beyond friendship, that had the power to redefine it as something more. When had it started, for how long, not even the Senshi of Wisdom could fathom-Makoto had asked. Nevertheless, Ami had had the courage to act on her feelings. The brunette mused whether if their positions had been reversed would *she* have had the guts. In any case, if not for Ami, if not for her declaration, if not for her... kiss... Makoto wouldn't be sitting beside her now, blushing under her gaze, her chest as light as a feather. She would have remained oblivious to this wonder. The Senshi of Courage was sure of that at least.

Her kiss... Makoto would never forget it or any of the other... intimacies... that had happened thereafter. But it was that kiss that stood out the most in her memory. It had been a total surprise, and yet... so... natural. As if she had been waiting for it. Whether Makoto had felt the exact same love Ami had that night, she didn't know for certain. She had simply given in, went with it, letting her friend gradually, tenderly, open her eyes to it. The brunette did know it had felt right. She wondered if the feeling had always been mutual, the love always there but unacknowledged, somewhere deep inside, waiting to be discovered. Or if she had been reaching out to a friend in need, answering her cry for help, turning their grief for another, fallen, friend into something beautiful and comforting. It had been a crazy, intense time. Like Ami with her own feelings, Makoto couldn't say anything for sure. However, when she had said 'I love you too', she had meant every word.

Being in love with a girl... being in love with Ami... it was so unlike her past relationship with her upperclassman at her old school. That period of Makoto's life felt very long ago now. Female classmates had always had a tendency to look up to her-and not just because of her height-they'd admire her in ways that she'd just chalk up to hero worship or an older sister thing; *now* she interpreted their infatuations very differently. While with her ex-boyfriend Makoto had become like those classmates, vulnerable and so... girly. With Ami she didn't feel the same vulnerability. Instead, she felt the need to be strong, to be there for the other girl. Though that was not to say she was never feminine around the Senshi of Water; after all, she *was* still a girl. It was just... different.

It was lame to describe it as such; however that was how it was. New and different, and hard to explain. Makoto hadn't even had a past attraction to girls before-not one that she'd been aware of at least. Maybe she had and hadn't realised it? Anything seemed possible now. She *should* have been weirded out by Ami and everything they had done together, but it had been *Ami*, her friend. Her best friend. No, Makoto had grown into their love following that night, her eyes along with her heart ever opening wider, accepting... realising... rejoicing. It had been strange that it *hadn't* felt strange. It had just felt... like destiny.

Here and now, there was no questioning what the brunette kept in her heart for her blue-haired friend. Makoto loved Ami. She felt like she belonged, like a part of something-something she'd been searching for. She was a Sailor Senshi, but this... this was just for her. Just for her and Ami. Makoto couldn't really remember her family, but she believed this was how it had felt when she'd still had one. She was happier than she'd ever been since then-even happier. Makoto was in love... a love that would finally last.

A short ring pierced through Makoto's apartment, its source in the kitchen from the little alarm clock the two Sailor Senshi had set up there, watchdog of Ami's baking foray earlier in the afternoon. All at once it broke the girls' daydreaming, and mathematics was replaced by home economics as the subject for the day.

"The cake," Ami remarked somewhat giddily, looking in the direction of the kitchen.

Makoto smiled encouragingly. "Go on. You're the one who's baking it."

The brunette watched on indulgently as Ami hurried into the kitchen and nervously hesitated in front of the oven for a few seconds, before twisting the dials to turn the heat off and bending down to open the door.

"Gloves," Makoto called from the couch, the role of the teacher hers now and her girlfriend the student.

"Oh," Ami quietly gasped. She took the oven gloves from the counter and pulled them on, then bent down once again to, with an expression of great concentration on her face, slowly and carefully take her cake from the oven. Staring at it the whole time, the blue-haired aspiring chef transferred it to the kitchen counter, on top of the mat that awaited the hot pan. She sighed softly once it was there, and closed the oven door and tugged off the gloves. You would think she was handling radioactive material instead of a run-of-the-mill apple cake.

Makoto came over to observe as the other girl took a knife to her creation, cutting two slices, and then scooping them up with some fork juggling onto plates.

"Best while it's warm, correct?" Ami remarked, handing the brunette her share of the cake.

"I'm glad one of us is taking their lessons to heart," Makoto smirked ruefully as she took the plate.

Ami merely gave a gentle though disapproving look, not a fan of her girlfriend's self-depreciating even if it was mostly in jest, and perhaps to get a little of the Senshi of Wisdom's affectionate encouragements. Ami had it right however. Staying optimistic was important; otherwise there was the risk of eventually believing that your failure was destined to come to pass-and then it did, your efforts sabotaged by your own thoughts. Confidence, however, was not normally a serious problem for Makoto... at least when it didn't have to do with schoolwork.

The Senshi of Courage broke the tip off her hot slice of apple cake with her fork as Ami did likewise. "Same time?"

Ami grinned and nodded, and brought her fork with a small piece of the dessert speared on the end towards Makoto's mouth while the taller girl mimicked her movement, the pair eating each other's offered bites in the same moment. There was quiet as they both chewed slowly and thoughtfully-then they simultaneously smiled at one another, moaning in pleasure at the perfect mix of flavours.

"It's good," Makoto said, pleased, but not really surprised. The cake *had* been made by her prodigy girlfriend.

"Mm!" the blue-haired teenager concurred. She *did* sound pleasantly surprised.

Ami's blue mobile phone droned on the coffee table, vibrating across the polished surface as it sought attention. But it had been set to silent for a reason.

"Leave it," Makoto quickly implored, not inclined for anything from the outside world to intrude on these precious moments here with her love. If it was a call from one of their friends-a call to arms from their fellow Sailor Senshi-then their watch communicators would have been flaring to staticy life instead. It couldn't be urgent...

"No harm in checking," Ami said. She was always so practical... to a fault, sometimes.

Ami put down her cake and walked back into the living area where her phone and outside distractions awaited. Meanwhile Makoto was left sighing in the kitchen, her appetite for freshly baked apple cake not what it had been. Yet she supposed it was unfair to want to keep Ami to herself; she wasn't the only person in the other girl's life or anything. They had their friends, Ami had her mother... at least Makoto could say she had her heart.

"Who was it?" the Senshi of Thunder asked, feeling more upbeat.

"Rei," Ami replied absently, busy pressing keys on her phone as she no doubt prepared a text message to send.

"Trouble?" Couldn't be too careful after all, silent watch communicators or not.

"No. Just an invite for shopping. I've declined."

"Oh?"

Ami looked up and smiled, closing her phone. "I haven't finished my cake. Nor have you."

Makoto returned the smile a touch bashfully, yet every other part of it was pure joy. "Plus you're not leaving me with all your washing up!" she joked. They did have their friends, but for right now each other was all they needed.

After cake and dishes; the latter which Makoto would have been happy to deal with herself if Ami had only let her; the outside world encroached as it invariably tended to do, and it was time for the Senshi of Water to depart. Ami had cram school, and after that a mother waiting for her at home. But Makoto and her apartment would always be here for the girl's return.

"Remember to tell your mother that you made it," Makoto said, lingering in her apartment's doorway.

Ami nodded from the hall outside, her schoolbag in one hand and half the apple cake's leftovers perched in the other. "I hope she'll like it."

"If she knows it was made by you, then she will," Makoto said knowingly.

They fell into somewhat awkward silence, their goodbyes after such peace and happiness spent together reluctant at best. Makoto would have proposed to walk Ami home, or to cram school or wherever just to prolong their time with each other, but it wasn't exactly practical, nor was Ami the type to okay inconveniencing her girlfriend whether Makoto minded it or not. Instead they'd have to wait until tomorrow to see each other again, and they both knew it. Makoto thought it would have gotten easier the longer they'd been in a relationship, yet it hadn't. But maybe that was a good thing.

"Oh, Ami! Hi there."

The Sailor Senshis' moment shattered at the sound of the stranger's voice, and both girls looked a few doors down to the man it belonged to. He was around college age, red hair and stylishly dressed, and with an impressive physique underneath the designer threads. He stood in front of an apartment door, keys in his hand. Makoto couldn't recall someone of his sort living in her building, but then again she wasn't even sure what her immediate neighbours looked like. When she'd first moved in she hadn't been the most talkative person, nor had she been searching for new friends-or any friends at all.

"Uh, um, h-hello," Ami stammered, suddenly tensing up-Makoto could tell she was uncomfortable.

"Fancy meeting you here."

"Yes, um... Sorry, this is my... friend, from school, Makoto Kino," Ami nervously introduced. "Makoto, this is Takeru Sakai. He's a... an acquaintance of my mother's."

"Nice to meet you," Makoto said automatically, bowing a little, while trying not to read too much into being presented as just Ami's 'friend'. Ami could be plenty timid and reserved, however she wasn't so about her romantic involvement, not even while in school or in other public locales. Not normally anyway... unless her mother was concerned. And if this Takeru talked regularly with Saeko, then...

"Mm," Takeru murmured back, dipping his head. "I take it you don't have cram school today?" he then remarked to Ami. "You know, being with your... friend."

"It's l-later on Friday's," the blue-haired girl said. It was the truth; however her hesitant tone made her sound defensive, like she was uttering an excuse.

"I see. Give your mother my best." Takeru searched through his bunch of keys for presumably the one belonging to his apartment, apparently dismissing the two teenagers.

Ami bowed slightly, and visibly swallowed.

"I'll... see you later," Makoto said uncertainly, not quite sure how to behave now that they weren't alone and that Ami was clearly troubled by the fact. Nevertheless, she leaned forward to kiss her petite girlfriend farewell, but the Senshi of Water stepped back out of reach.

"I'll explain later," she whispered at the sight of the brunette's disappointed visage. Ami cast a furtive glance at Takeru, who was unlocking his door, before she put her head down and set a brisk pace through the hall and past him.

Makoto watched her go, craving for 'later' more keenly than usual.

* * *

The streets churned, host to a noisy, unceasing and uncoordinated, fashion parade; chic dresses, smart shirts; outfits to impress and attract, complemented by slicked or bouncing hair tweaked to fall just right-the night's divas and princes out in force; glittering, beautiful-*many*. Friday evening in Roppongi. And Rei had thought it had been packed on school nights.

Wedged in the whirlwind of young and old-but mostly young-Rei and Usagi were a part of the night life scene, in harmony with it, yet dressed not so much to impress or attract, but to promote that harmony. In that way they were different from the hundreds of other girls and guys around them. This wasn't to unwind. This wasn't for fun. There were no divas here. Just soldiers.

"Do you think your classmates will be at Muse again?"

Well, and one Princess.

Usagi's arm was locked around Rei's, in part to not become separated from the raven-haired miko in the pushy crowd, and for another because they were girlfriends.

"I guess I'm pretty well-known at your school now. Like a celebrity!"

But mainly because of *that*.

Usagi had gotten over being jealous of Rei's admirers. Now she wanted to make *them* jealous. Of *her*. She was... *proud*. The Fire Senshi couldn't decide which odango atama was more difficult.

"I just didn't realise you were *that* popular. I mean, I noticed girls liked you when you performed at your school's cultural festival-remember that? You really had a beautiful singing voice..." Usagi trailed off and her eyes glazed over, shining in the clubs' and bars' bright lights as she no doubt reminisced. It had been a long time ago-a taste of an old dream for Rei. Classmates had begged her profusely for a repeat mini concert every year thereafter; however her heart hadn't been in it. Rei's heart had wandered elsewhere. "But you're like... like... *Haruka* or something! You should see the girls at Juuban High when she's around. It doesn't seem to bug Michiru though. That's true love for you!"

"*Haruka*? That's a little off, isn't it? I'm not a brazen flirt like she is," Rei said, feeling somewhat insulted.

"So I've decided that I'm going to be like Michiru and handle this maturely," Usagi went on, apparently either not hearing the other girl above the chatter and revelling of Roppongi's visitors-or more likely simply too wrapped up in the ideas stewing in her own head to notice the miko's mild outrage. The blonde suddenly wrapped both her arms around Rei's, squeezing tight enough to trouble the circulation while rubbing her cheek against the Senshi of Passion's shoulder affectionately, though with a touch of madness. "I can't wait to show you off to those T*A girls!" she squealed.

"I'm not sure that's what Michiru would do," Rei deadpanned. Oh well. As long as the odango atama was happy.

Rei sighed to herself, sidestepping a pair of westerners and weaving through a group of high school aged guys, every one of them with their hair spiked to ambitious bordering on comical heights, all the while guiding Usagi along beside her. "I don't know why it's like that," she griped as they moved through the crush. "Who decided I should be 'queen' of my school? It sounds great on paper, but in reality..." Maybe it was because of her father. Maybe her classmates were aware of his position, his influence, and thus believed his only daughter had share in it by familial association. Rei had never considered that before. She wished she hadn't.

"That's easy," Usagi declared confidently, remaining pressed close to the raven-haired teenager as they navigated the heavy, well-dressed pedestrian traffic. "It's because you're so beautiful!"

Rei scoffed, but grinned, feeling better. Her Princess could boil down any situation; shred the details and make it simple. "You forgot smart and cool."

"No, I didn't forget," the blonde retorted matter-of-factly.

The Senshi of Passion scoffed again, this time in pretend indignation, and bumped her hip against her love's in retaliation, knocking the other, laughing, girl off balance for a couple of steps. Rei had to admit she wasn't really hating these nightly investigations.

"So, do you think they'll be at Muse again?"

Perhaps it was time to change the location of the investigation, however. A different club... with different patrons. "I hope not," Rei muttered.

"Too bad Naru and Umino didn't want to come again. Two nights in a row is too much for them, I guess. But we can still have tons of fun without them, can't we!"

"Do I have to say again that we're here to check for anything weird?" Rei said wearily.

"I know, I know, but that's why we need to dance and stuff, you know, to fit in. Undercover! Those men in black might still be nosing around too. It'll throw them off the scent!"

"Thanks for the reminder," Rei droned expressionlessly.

"No problem!" Usagi energetically replied, not reading into the miko's tone. "It's why I'm in charge."

"Odango atama, you-"

"Hey look! I think that's Minako!" the blonde exclaimed, bobbing up and down on her tiptoes every few steps she walked, trying to keep their friend in her sight despite the dozens of other people in the way. "Minako! Minako~!" she called, before turning to Rei. "Uguu, I don't think she can hear me. She could come with us. I should phone her."

"Forget it," the Fire Senshi said. Someone had caught her attention as well-some*ones*. Amongst the posters on any spare strip of wall for DJs and bands, hostess and host bars, were a unique series that repeated just as often. Less flashy, but no less bold. There were names. Faces. Not all of Roppongi glittered. Not every diva or prince made it back to their castle. Sometimes what they attracted was the wrong sort of attention. But now those ill-fated souls had just the sort they needed. "We've somewhere to be."

* * *

Minako sauntered down the streets of Roppongi, basking in the atmosphere; letting the feeling of the night soak into her skin. Friday had everyone out and having a good time, but the crowds always seemed to make a path for her; no crush, no dodging-it was as though she was meant to be here and everyone knew it. Minako liked crowds. The excitement, the energy-the life within them. And she'd always liked the night. Everything seemed different in the late hours. The whole city was transformed, the lights from windows and lampposts, and of course the moon, painting a brand new landscape. There was something romantic and magical about this parallel world. Even when the streets were deserted, and the din of the day had completely fallen away, it still retained its charm to the Senshi of Love. The night was where she belonged.

For a second Minako thought she'd heard her name being called, however there were possibly scores of people with the same name as her flowing around her tonight. She couldn't be the Minako they wanted. She would bet money on it.

It was a new bar this evening, though the company would remain the same-Setsuna, Mamoru, and Motoki. Minako had thought about blowing it off-she couldn't stay long-yet her feet were following her friends' directions anyway. So far no one had asked where she'd been last night. Not that the blonde was looking for inquiries; it was probably for the best that they'd assumed... whatever they'd assumed. A modelling shoot, a party, a gathering with the other Inner Senshi-they could choose what they like.

The Senshi of Beauty arrived at the address; one of dozens of niche bars crammed into the district's myriad alleyways. Outside it didn't look like much; merely a door and a curb side billboard; however that was normally how it was with these places. "I'll be fast," she said into the night air.

Minako pushed open the door to a glass and metal interior; everything clean modern lines and refinement, from the glass bar to the chrome stools. A real step up from the last few bars she and the gang had frequented.

"This is different," she remarked as she walked up to the bar where Setsuna, Mamoru, and Motoki sat, alcoholic drinks already in front of them. It was hard not to be constantly reminded that she was the only one not permitted liquor during their get-togethers. Setsuna at least could sneak her a sip or too *sometimes*, couldn't she? Well, maybe not responsible *Setsuna*, perhaps Mamor-no, Moto-actually, Minako's best hope for a cocktail or two *would* probably be the Senshi of Time... which was no hope at all.

Minako sat down on the vacant stool beside Setsuna, checking out the place as she did so. It was quiet inside, the walls and door thick to block out Roppongi's liveliness, only some subdued piano score in the background for ambiance, and Minako and her generally soft-spoken friends were the sole customers. Setsuna had probably picked this place out; it screamed of her influence. Prim and proper, efficient and understated beauty, cold yet peaceful-oh yeah, it was all her.

"Can you get fed in this tin can?" the Senshi of Beauty asked. She lifted her hands from the bar after steadying herself on her perch to see that she'd left prints on the glass. That had to be so annoying for the bartender to keep polishing.

"Sure," Mamoru smirked, and then deliberately lowered his eyes to the bar and the bowl of peanuts he pointedly tapped with a finger-a chrome bowl naturally. "Just kidding. I think they have sashimi."

"We missed you last night, Minako," Motoki said, leaning forward over the bar to speak past Mamoru and Setsuna sitting between himself and the Inner Senshi.

"Yeah, we all know *I'm* the life of this party," Minako replied sardonically, purposefully avoiding a more informative answer. She couldn't stop herself from glancing at the Guardian of Time however; the stoic woman no doubt was privy to every detail of what the Senshi of Love and Beauty had gotten up to the night before. But whatever. Setsuna wouldn't tell. She was great at keeping things to herself.

"How has work been?" the green-haired Outer Senshi spoke up. It was a nice gesture, but perhaps it was for the sake of the two guys near her not imbued with omnipotence.

"You know; work's work," Minako shrugged. She wondered if Setsuna knew she had thought about her. That she had... missed her, she supposed. Was that something someone could discern from just viewing the blonde's life as it plodded along? Time's Keeper wasn't a mind reader-she'd just seen everything; even the stuff that hadn't happened yet. Minako hadn't made her feelings visibly obvious, had she? Oh no, what if Setsuna *did* know, and so she knew that Minako knew, and knew that the blonde was thinking about her knowing *right* *this* *second*?

"I trust Mr. Katsuyori is looking after you in my absence?"

"Yeah, he's cool," Minako said, wincing while she rubbed at her temple. Wait, was that a hint that Setsuna knew? Ugh, this was worse than school.

The Guardian of Time smiled faintly. "He'll lead you to interesting places, I'm sure," she remarked before taking a sip of her clear cocktail.

"Well, the supermodel is probably hungry," Motoki said brightly, signalling the sedate bartender to mosey on over. "Let's get something to eat. But no purging in the bathroom afterwards." He flashed Minako a light-hearted grin along with a wink to show he meant no harm.

"I'm sorry, I only dropped by to say hi," Minako piped up, shaking off her mind fog. "I've got, um, plans."

"Hot date with a cute colleague?" Motoki posed, his grin becoming lopsided and a shade sleazy as he leaned further over the bar, practically lying on it.

Minako shot an involuntary look at Setsuna again. No, she had to be aware that scenario wasn't a possibility. "Oh, sure," the Senshi of Love joked as she hopped off her stool, before putting on a faraway gaze and a dreamy voice. "He's got luxurious short white hair, beautiful piercing green eyes..." The girl sighed with contrived bliss and clutched at her chest, over her heart. "We've already even slept together so many times..."

"Artemis," Mamoru said knowingly, smirking at the Senshi of Beauty.

"Bingo," Minako snapped, aiming and firing an imaginary gun at the dark-haired man with her pointed finger, one blue eye squinted.

Motoki noticeably relaxed after that revelation. The dummy.

"As a matter of fact, I have somewhere to be as well," Mamoru revealed, seconds before polishing off the last of his beer.

"What? No way," Motoki exclaimed. "So it'll be just me and..." The blonde turned his head to the serene Setsuna and offered her an uncomfortable smile that was more twisted lips than anything else.

Mamoru patted his friend supportively on the shoulder. "Think of *her*. She *knew* this was going to happen." Maybe not quite so supportive.

Goodbyes were said, and promises to convene at a more convenient time for all were sworn. Minako and Mamoru then left the bar and Setsuna and Motoki to their dubious evening in each other's company. Outside, the Prince of Earth waved a farewell as he walked off down the alley in one direction while the Senshi of Love and Beauty took the other. When he was out of sight, a white shape leapt from nearby awnings to join the girl's trek.

"We really should tell the others," Artemis worried.

"We have nothing to tell," Minako said, cavalierly dismissing the feline's anxiety. "Not yet."

Minako stretched her arms above her head, mewling contentedly, and then brought them down to clasp her hands behind her back. She breathed deeply, taking in the scent of the streets before they would be replaced by the stink of sewers, and then released it all at once. She liked the night.

* * *

To be continued...

Author's ramblings:

I had Minako say bingo instead of the more Japanese ping-pong, since I figured no one would know what that meant, LOL.


	7. Lives

Past Lives - By Kirika

* * *

The sixth chapter.

- Kirika

* * *

Chapter 6 - Lives

A perfect morning was there to cradle Rei back into wakefulness as her eyes gradually opened to face the new day. The sun sifted through her curtains, gently straining against the thin fabric, bathing her room in a mellow golden glow; tender to her lethargic gaze. The songs of birds nesting in the Hikawa Jinja's neighbouring forest outside were not at all intrusive, but serene; melodic fanfare for the miko's dawn. And the sleep the night before had been long and fulfilling, the girl's supine body aching just a little; that pleasant margin that hummed in your muscles, the latter craving to be stretched out in satisfying fashion. There were no responsibilities demanding she rise immediately this Sunday, nothing to draw her from her futon prematurely; not a shred of urgency in her waking. Rei could relax as long as she wished, basking in the simple yet often uncommon comforts of a lie in.

However, none of that was what made it a perfect morning.

Rei lay on her back, raven locks strewn with abandon about her pillow and the sheets. Amid their black sheen were tresses of spun gold, bright and beautiful in the sunlight, antithesis to the dark. The long blonde hair fell everywhere, as liberated as its opposite. Rei hadn't woken up alone this morning.

The Senshi of Passion kept still, her breathing the same as it had been in her slumber, controlled and peaceful, or close to it. Usagi yet snored beside her. Characteristic for the blonde; a point that Rei should have equally characteristically condemned; but here and now, just the two of them and her Princess asleep, there was no reason to put on her airs. Just enjoy it-enjoy *her*-be as free and happy as she felt.

Rei, slowly and quietly, lifted her arm and ran her fingers through Usagi's hair, the strands falling past her fingers like rivers of silky sand. The odango hairstyle was intrinsic to Usagi, and Rei loved her Princess being an odango atama, however there was a special place in the Fire Senshi's heart for when the girl untied her hair. Something so naturally, almost painfully, beautiful about it; vulnerable and so very feminine-so very Princess-like. Over and over again Rei indolently combed her fingers through Usagi's loose locks, gathering them from where they covered her chest and letting them slip away, watching the flaxen waves through dozy half-lidded eyes while loving their caress on her skin, wanting to feel it again and again.

"Mmfh... I could get used to this..." Usagi mumbled sleepily.

"I'm sorry I woke you," Rei said, matching the blonde's quiet voice. She still played with her love's hair, enthralled.

Usagi slurped loudly, sucking up her drool that had run unchecked while she had snoozed, and then buried her face into Rei's shoulder. A lazy arm went across the miko's stomach and a leg slid over her right. Bare skin touched bare skin, invoking memories of the night prior.

The girls' clothes were scattered around the traditionally decorated room, a haphazard exhibit in a room normally kept to painstakingly orderly standards. It had been the fruition of long hours bumping and grinding on the dance floor, of deep and intense gazes-of a heat that had been building throughout the night. At the time nothing else had mattered; not the clothes they had been wearing, not the need for sleep, not how vocal they might have been in their mutual release, nor their latest failure to unearth some secret evil trawling the club scene. Each other had been everything Rei and Usagi had wanted or needed.

*Now*, however... Rei was left speculating whether her Grandpa or Yuuichirou had experienced a rude awakening in the middle of last night. Or for that matter, if any passersby on the street outside, though dozens of metres from the Jinja proper, had been terrorised-the Senshi of Passion couldn't remember either her or her Princess holding back. The girls' did have this side of the Hikawa Jinja to themselves, but if you screamed loud enough sound could travel almost any distance. How thick were the Jinja's walls anyway? Thinking about it positively, if it seemed like no one had overheard anything... embarrassing... it freed Rei and Usagi to exercise their vocal chords as much as they desired in the future...

Rei slowly smiled to herself, feeling better and more than a bit naughty, however the smile waned a little when her thoughts turned to the unproductive evening of investigation-yet another unproductive evening of investigation. How many was that now? She was doing everything she could do to determine whether there was something preying on Roppongi's nightlife, but... To be honest, the raven-haired girl found herself more and more engaged by the clubs' bass-heavy music and Usagi's comical yet somehow provocative dancing than rooting out something wicked. The continual absence of anything suspicious was letting her be complacent. Still, Rei would stick with it. At least go through the motions for a couple more nights, a couple more clubs. There were people missing, true, but the link to their vanishing acts and the nightclubs was appearing progressively flimsier.

"What are you thinking?" Usagi murmured, speaking into Rei's shoulder.

"Just... that I could get used to this too," the Fire Senshi said. There wasn't a place in this morning or this bedroom for dark musings, except in Rei's suitably capable mind.

"Mmmm...!" the blonde purred in wholehearted agreement.

"You know, it's funny," Rei remarked, ceasing her fondling of her lover's hair. "A sleepover here wouldn't have been a big deal before... well... *this*." The raven-haired teen smirked and ran her hand over the slope of her girlfriend's bare hip under the covers. "Now getting you permission to spend the night is-"

"-So annoying~!" Usagi finished for Rei, lifting herself up and flopping atop the other naked girl, peering down at her amused face. "I wish Papa would let me stay here every night." The blonde blinked suddenly, blue eyes wide with discovery. "I could move in!"

"Yeah, because he'd totally be fine with that," Rei deadpanned.

"I could say it's part of my miko training!"

"You'd miss Shingo and your mother. And your father," Rei replied, before grinning slightly. "And Chibi-Usa."

Usagi made a face. "I was going to say you could move in with me instead, but you can forget it now."

"You don't have the space anyway," Rei beamed unrepentantly.

"I would have made space..." the blonde grumbled, resting her head on the Fire Senshi's chest while the other girl's arms slid around her waist. "A bigger bed would have done..."

They lay there quietly for several long moments, savouring their time together, and their closeness. Rei stared up at the ceiling, not really seeing it, immersed in her Princess. Usagi felt small and delicate in her arms. Fragile yet perfect. A wonder. Her skin, her scent, and the very fact she was there... No, Rei could never get used to this. She didn't want to. She wanted this feeling to always remain a marvel, something special; something she'd always crave and be amazed by. Rei being with Usagi was something that shouldn't have been but was. Her dream. Her miracle. And a miracle didn't happen every day. A miracle wasn't something you got used to.

"I really do like this..." Usagi spoke up softly, cheek pressed over Rei's heart.

"One day," Rei answered quietly. They'd all the time in the world-a future without end.

Rei's eyes were drifting closed again when she felt one of Usagi's hands roam, going places it had last night. The raven-haired girl stayed perfectly still, allowing herself to doze and go limp as her Princess had her way. Questing fingers crept to the junction between Rei's legs, touching and feeling; testing.

"Ahhhh..." the blonde breathed knowingly, fingers still dabbling. They had become wet. "I heard somewhere that a miko is supposed to be, what's the word...? Chaste..."

"I heard the same thing about Princesses," Rei smiled. "I'm willing to abstain if you are."

Usagi pretended to consider the offer a moment, though her fingers didn't stop. "Nah."

Mutual grins were flashed back and forth, before Usagi's blonde head disappeared under the futon's covers. Seconds later Rei's breathing hitched sharply, though the grin endured, growing wider. "And here I thought you'd be starving for breakfast," she half-panted, half-chuckled.

"I am," came the muffled reply from below, prompting more chuckling from the girl above. Certainly Rei wasn't going to begrudge Usagi this particular appetite of hers. The Senshi of Passion could spoil her girlfriend now and then, after all. She was generous like that.

The laughter didn't continue for long. Soon Rei was grabbing at the pillow underneath her head, seizing clumps of it in her fists, while struggling to keep still and hold her voice in check. Her body twisted as the bulge under the covers moved, and unconsciously she spread her legs wider, pushing them outside the futon, her toes curling at the intoxicating sensations her Princess avidly lavished upon her. It felt *so* good. Everything did. Really, the *perfect* morning.

"Wakey-wakey, guys! Can't sleep all day!"

Rei choked mid-gasp, instinctively snatching the bed covers to pull up over her chest. Her bare legs snapped back inside the futon at the same time, her thighs scissoring Usagi's buried head and producing a yelp from the poor girl. But naturally the mood, along with every ounce of that perfect pleasure that had an instant earlier been coursing divinely through Rei's body, had been well and truly sucked into oblivion at the sound of Chibi-Usa's voice. How could she be *here*, in Rei's room? *Why* was she here? The questions blazed through the Fire Senshi's head as she stammered, feeling very, *very* naked beneath the suddenly too thin sheets, though what she was trying to say she didn't even know yet. This had to be the worst morning ever.

"Chibi-Usa!" Usagi squeaked, her head poking out of one side of the futon, blatantly-to the raven-haired girl she was sprawled upon anyway-in line with Rei's hips. Quickly Usagi rubbed the back of her hand over her mouth-could she *be* any more obvious? "What are you doing here?"

"Rei's Grandpa let us in," Chibi-Usa chirped as she leapt onto the futon, bouncing gleefully on the puffy covers-and on Usagi's back.

"Waagh!" the blonde squealed.

"Should he not have?" It got worse. Hotaru was with her.

"I-It's okay," Rei said, forcing a smile for the slender young girl who lingered in the doorway. "We... just lost track of the time." A glance at her clock told the story-it was well into the afternoon. That's what late nights would do to you.

"Why are you under there like that?" Chibi-Usa asked, ceasing her playful bouncing and blinking inquisitively at Usagi.

"Rei had... had..." Usagi floundered, pushing the pink-haired girl off her so she could scramble to lie beside Rei. They huddled close, as if plunged into an arctic environ; survival together. Rei felt even *more* naked. She couldn't stop her eyes flicking repeatedly to her underwear on the tatami mats. Too far out of reach, but not far enough to keep from being noticed. Gods, let them not notice.

"A kink!" Rei improvised. "In my... my... back!"

"I give great back rubs!" Usagi jumped upon. "That's why you probably heard moan-"

Rei hastily nudged her Princess in the ribs with her elbow, shutting her up. Seriously, why give them more imagery?

"Really?" Chibi-Usa frowned; seeming unconvinced the odango atama could be good at anything.

"Yeah, she's great," the Senshi of Passion said. "She hits all the right spots."

It was Usagi's turn to be secretly scandalised; she gaped at Rei, her eyes screaming. Damnit, Rei was no better than the odango atama.

"Grandpa can get you both breakfast," Rei swiftly redirected.

"It's lunchtime," Chibi-Usa reminded.

"Lunch then," Rei amended, a tad heatedly. "We'll join you soon."

Chibi-Usa hopped off the futon, scampering over to Hotaru. "Don't take too long!"

"Could one of you close the door on your way out?" Rei said-begged.

"I knew this wouldn't be a good idea," Hotaru whispered to her best friend as the two young girls walked back into the hallway.

"Usagi's just lazy. She's infecting Rei."

"They were just like Haruka-Papa and Michiru-Mama that one time I-"

Mercifully, they shut the door.

And immediately afterwards Rei was up, dashing across her room to set the wooden locking bar behind the door in the place it *should* have been in. She didn't breathe, didn't recall she was standing there without a stitch on, before there was no doubt that the door wouldn't be sliding open unexpectedly this morning-this *afternoon*-again. The raven-haired teenager took several deep breaths, the adrenaline wearing off-until she whirled around on Usagi. "You didn't lock the door last night?" she cried incredulously.

Usagi had sat up in the futon, the covers gathered to her, drawn up to just under her nose. She peered over them, still hiding behind the sheets, only this time from her irate girlfriend. "I didn't..." she started timidly, before pulling the covers from her mouth. "Wait, why is it *me*? It's *your* room!" the blonde exclaimed.

Rei was speechless, her mouth opening but her irritation without a voice. She swallowed, trying to call on her memory of last night. However all she could remember was Usagi's lips, her smell, her body, as they stumbled into the room, heading for the futon... "Because... because you were the last one inside," Rei finally came out with, and pretty weakly at that. She stormed over to her full length stand mirror to make up for it, grabbing her hairbrush from her dresser as she passed, and went about ruthlessly combing her hair. There was snapping and crackling as roots were viciously tugged from her scalp and tangled raven strands broke, but she didn't flinch, didn't so much as bat an eyelash-it wasn't the first time Rei's locks had been raked by the hairbrush instead of soothed. It was therapeutic in its way. Though glaring at the image of herself in the mirror, it occurred to her that maybe she should have put some clothes on before brushing her hair.

"Was not," Usagi mumbled belligerently. "I told you she was a brat," she then muttered a few seconds later, obviously referring to the pink-haired girl who shared her name.

Rei sighed heavily, the hand that vigorously stroked the brush through her hair slowing down. Had she just had her first taste of parenthood? Her first *real* taste? She wondered if Chibi-Usa-or poor Hotaru-had really seen anything-or would 'everything' be more accurate?-they shouldn't have. Had Rei and Usagi traumatised their daughter *already*? She hadn't even technically been born yet!

Usagi came over, quietly cuddling into Rei from behind. The shorter girl pushed her chin onto the Fire Senshi's shoulder, peeking into the mirror. Rei continued with her brushing as though the blonde wasn't there, however as her girlfriend's eyes shamelessly roamed her unclothed reflection, virtually gawking, it grew harder to maintain her aplomb. Moreover, once Usagi's eyes dropped to below her navel, it was all but impossible.

"Could you not stare like that?" Rei demanded; however it came out softly, almost like a whine. *Almost*-Rei didn't whine.

"You're naked," Usagi said. She could have at least brought her eyes level with Rei's in the mirror when she talked, but she didn't. Then again, this *was* Usagi.

"And...?" Rei replied in exasperation, certainly not requiring that revelation. "You are too."

"So it's like an invitation. Like it would be rude or something if I didn't look. So I have to look."

Rei blinked a few times, trying to get her mind around odango atama logic. She quickly gave up. "Okaaaaay... or you could try practicing a little modesty, a little self-control..."

"But I don't have any."

The brush stopped, buried in Rei's dark mane, as the Senshi of Passion witnessed Usagi's fingers in the mirror tiptoe below her navel. The blonde's fingers had even less shame than her eyes-and they hadn't any qualms about expressing it.

"And neither do you," Usagi quipped, smiling brightly into the mirror while Rei's cheeks flushed slightly.

"I can't believe you still want to, after that..." the raven-haired girl breathed. Even she had her limits. They were sky high when Usagi was the other party, but they did exist. Nearly being caught in the act by your future daughter and her best friend were definitely pushing them.

"You don't?" Usagi frowned. Her fingers pushed deliciously, and then she smiled again. When they came back into view they had a shine in the sunlight. "Nope, you sure do!"

"I've been a bad influence on you..." Rei groaned, yet soon afterwards she was smiling as well, strained though it was-but for all the right reasons. "Or is that a good influence...?"

Ten minutes and lots of heavy breathing later, Rei was feeling much better about this day. The wonders a girlfriend and a locked door could bestow.

"I can't find my underwear!" Usagi complained, scrounging on the floor through the flung apparel from the night prior.

"The maid hasn't been in yet, so look harder," Rei joked sarcastically as she picked a fresh outfit from her dresser drawers.

"They aren't here! My panties aren't here!"

Rei sighed impatiently and looked over her shoulder, getting a fine sight of Usagi's bare rear-end up in the air as the doubled over girl searched. "Just wear my clothes. Or maybe you have a handy device that magics clothes into existence. Wouldn't that be helpful..."

"Okay. I'll borrow these," Usagi said, straightening with a lacy, black, and familiar pair of panties stretched between her fingertips. She eagerly flexed the elastic waistband back and forth a couple of times.

Rei raised an eyebrow. "I meant I could give you clean clothes from my dresser."

"These will do," the blonde shrugged, slipping on the Fire Senshi's soiled underwear from yesterday. "Hey, they fit pretty good!" The topless girl bent this way and that, admiring her own behind. Rei did her own admiring also. Perhaps clean underwear could sometimes be an overrated ideal. "Where's your bra?"

At this point realising the futility of protest, Rei gestured vaguely with her thumb in the direction of the bunny plush toy her Princess had won for her a few days ago, where it sat in a coveted spot on her dresser, wearing the black pair of cups as a hat. Rei hadn't owned a plush toy in a long time-too childish for someone who'd had to grow up fast. But the bunny she treasured, displaying it beside framed photos of her girlfriend and friends. It was to remind Rei of her Princess after all... not that she truly needed to ever be reminded of the person she loved.

Rei had changed and was brushing her hair again-her tresses having been mussed in front of the mirror before thanks to Usagi and her shamelessness-by the time her Princess had grabbed the clothes of her own she could find and put them on. Usagi went over to share the mirror and took the brush from Rei when the other girl had finished with it and moved onto makeup, painstakingly unsnarling and straightening her flaxen hair with quick and constant strokes from a practiced hand. Then she tied her trademark odangos, before running the brush through the twin tresses leftover with as much care and consideration she had her loose locks.

Rei watched her out of the corner of her eye throughout the whole ritual. She'd seen it before of course, but it always struck a chord inside her. Such the Princess. It was very nearly a memory; not a memory from last weekend, last week, last year; and not one from her bedroom or Usagi's; but from somewhere far, far before, in a place long gone where the stars always glittered as diamonds on a dark velvet sky. The Senshi of Fire could almost remember the sheets of golden silk, the attention given to them by the beauty they had belonged to. The beauty here and now, and yet... not.

Rei smiled softly as she applied her black eyeliner and then teased her dark lashes to their full potential, the déjà vu pleasant yet somehow melancholy.

"What are you smiling about?" Usagi asked with a little grin, putting on her own makeup next to the miko.

"Because I love you," Rei said, stepping back from the mirror and popping the lid of her lipstick back on.

Usagi put the cosmetics she had borrowed from Rei back on the dresser, and turned to embrace the raven-haired girl around the waist; gently tugging her hips flush against her own. She stared at her, but this was staring that Rei hadn't trouble with, matching the blonde's blue gaze with her amethyst hue. It really was such a great afternoon.

"Do we reaaaally have to go out there...?" Usagi asked shyly, no doubt starting to remember the embarrassment from earlier.

"They're waiting for us."

Usagi sighed. "She is such a brat."

Rei smirked, leaning in to land a kiss on her love's lips. "Our brat."

Usagi pursed her lips afterwards and looked away, seeming none too happy about that destined fact, but it only caused Rei's smile to become bigger. They would get the hang of it... eventually.

The pair held each other for a while longer, until Usagi's stomach gurgled and the girl grimaced. "Now I really am starving," she whimpered.

* * *

Minako floated in a world removed from memory, separate and far from anything she had known and lived. It was peaceful here, a place where she could... let go... unburdened by her past, her present and possible futures. Nowhere she had to be, no one who told her what to do-no one at all, except her. No friends, no enemies, no old loves, no lost loves. No uniforms. No mask. No destiny. No duty. Simply white nothingness, a sea of freedom; liberating limbo.

It would be perfect if not for how her nose tickled.

"Minako... Minako..."

Noise. There shouldn't have been noise. For that matter, Minako's nose shouldn't feel ticklish. Feeling didn't exist here. Only numbness. No pleasure... no pain. But the absolute was pleasure in itself.

"Minako...!"

Minako winced, softly whimpering. It shouldn't have been possible to be disturbed here. She didn't *want* to be disturbed. Finally, a place she could be at-

"Minako! Wake up!"

Minako groaned and weakly pushed Artemis's furry paw aside as it batted at her cheek. The world rushed back, as did memory and its weight. The uniform, the destiny. The duty. Her life. "Go away... it's Sunday..." the blonde whined in drowsy outrage, rolling over onto her side. "*Sunday*. You know the rules... What are you doing..." She wasn't to be bothered on weekend mornings, least of all on glorious *Sunday*.

"You told me to get you up!" the feline exclaimed exasperatedly as he pushed his front paws into Minako's shoulder, jostling her as best his little body could manage.

"Shut up... Go away..." Stricken with early-morning blindness, Minako pathetically tried to push Artemis off her body, however only succeeded in slapping herself in the face as her limp limb quickly gave up the fight against the nimble cat.

"Minako..." Artemis chastised at length, doing some whining of his own. "You told me to do this, and not stop until your feet were on the floor. You said you had a modelling session..."

Minako blinked several times, clearing the blurriness in her vision. Oh right.

In an instant the Senshi of Beauty had thrown off the covers-a wailing Artemis together with them-and was up and fully awake, stretching towards the ceiling beside her bed. She then bent down to touch her toes briefly, before bouncing back upright to lean left and then right, arm reaching over her head. Finally she hopped up and down energetically a few times on the balls of her feet, limber once again after a short night's repose and ready for another day in the life of Minako, Goddess of Love.

Minako trotted over to her window and flung the curtains open, the sudden burst of warm sunlight welcome on her face and in her bedroom. Smiling, she turned around to witness Artemis struggling to free himself from under a pile of bed sheets on the floor-and the time pictured on her alarm clock. The latter wiped the cheer from the blonde's visage.

Minako raced over to her desk-the clock placed there so she couldn't simply hit the snooze button and forget about leaving bed; that was the theory in any case, and one that didn't always hold-and seized the clock in both hands, bringing it right up to her face as if it was somehow lying if viewed any further distance away. "Artemis!" the girl yelled. "I said eleven! *Eleven*!" She marched over to the still trapped and struggling cat and thrust the clock next to his whiskers. "Do you see what time this is?"

"You... You slept through the alarm," the feline gasped, his front paws clawing the carpet for purchase so he might drag himself to freedom, "and I've been... trying to wake you... for the last twenty minutes!"

"You should've tried harder!" Minako scolded, chucking the clock onto her bed. But she couldn't stay cross. She could always forgive Artemis. They'd been through a lot together. He was lucky she was the forgiving type and so easy to live with. The blonde wagered Luna didn't have such an easy ride with Usagi. "Who works on a Sunday anyway?" the teenager complained as she idly kicked the covers from atop Artemis, rescuing him. "Modelling's a bit different, but still." She yawned, mouth opening widely and eyes tearing.

Artemis watched her from the floor, his blue gaze strong and serious. "You can't get up in the mornings because of your nights."

The Senshi of Love and Beauty pulled a flippant face. "It's nothing I haven't done before. Besides, school starts again tomorrow. Lots of chances to catch up on the Zs."

"Minako..." Artemis nagged.

Minako sighed, bending over to roll up her right pyjama leg. He should have understood. Or maybe he did, and that was what troubled him.

"It's over. You stopped that youma."

The Sailor Senshi ripped off the gauze on the back of her calf. Underneath, where scars had been, was pink flesh. Very soon it would be like she'd never been hurt to begin with.

Artemis leapt onto the bed, putting him at a better height in relation to his ward. "I realise you want to find him, but... but..."

But there was likely not a trace left to be found of Mr. Kats' homeless brother, Eiji. Or too morbidly for sweet Artemis, not a *morsel* left. Minako knew it as well as Artemis. Every night she had been on the hunt, hunting for more hunters, seeking their past catches. The sewers were becoming a familiar haunt, its smell no longer so abysmal, yet still always clinging afterwards, reminding. Beckoning a return the next night. Yet every new tunnel Minako stalked; every darkness she ventured into; there were simply more tunnels, more darkness. At this rate she *sought* a youma ambush. A dozen. A legion. Anything but the ordinary.

Minako frisbeed the used bandage into the trashcan under her desk. "Maybe you're right," she said. It was an utter platitude. Artemis was a good friend... perhaps her best friend. He always had what was best for her on his furry little mind. Sometimes it didn't mesh with the right thing to do.

The white kitty gave her an unimpressed and very weary stare. A good friend indeed; he knew her too well to be convinced by her casual surrender. Minako never surrendered.

"Alright, alright! We don't find anything, then this'll be the last night, okay? Just don't look at me like that. Or keep on about it. Geez!"

Artemis smiled, relieved. "You can't save everybody, Minako. There comes a time you have to think of yourself."

"Yeah, yeah," the blonde drawled dismissively while pulling off her pyjama top. She tossed it onto the suddenly blushing cat, closely followed after by her pyjama bottoms. "Can't always be the hero."

Minako sauntered off to the bathroom, heading for the shower. Poor Artemis. He still hadn't learned, still apparently didn't understand her *completely*. It was a bitter truth that not everyone could be saved, but you had to try. *She* had to try.

And keep trying.

* * *

Usagi's eyes were glued to the screen, the vivid spectrum of light from the fluid motion of sprites, textured polygons-or whatever energy and magic gave life to her fighter and her world-reflected in them, and playing across the rest of her seriously focussed features. This was something she was good at. This was something she was in her element with. No struggling or flailing, no worrying or faking-this was *all* her. Buttons were hit instinctively with precise timing; the control stick was jerked and spun as an extension of herself-and the character on the screen obeyed her, bending to her bidding as though they had some kind of mental connection with each other. Usagi's fighter, Ibuki, aspiring ninja girl from a small village in the mountains, wasn't her puppet but her ally, her *partner*. Together they rose above their normal stations, *striving* for the horizon, *reaching* for the sky, *leaping* towards glor-!

"Rei! What are you doing? What did I tell you? Down, forward-diagonal-down, left, *then* you punch! Look at you! You're just crouching all over the place and punching air!"

Rei shot Usagi that face she made. That one that had the raven-haired girl breathe out hard through her nose and had her look like she had just sniffed something horrid, but was pretending it wasn't horrid. And of course that sidelong glower-*almost* a glare-that said her patience was unravelling. Rei *thought* she was staying cool and composed, at least on the outside, but if she could only see herself. Sometimes Usagi felt like she was a darting and dancing bull fighter next to Rei; her snorting bull that had only red in her vision. A very beautiful bull, though. The blonde had once explained this comparison to her Senshi of Passion during a squabble, and surprisingly the miko had actually agreed with it. Rei had been insistent on pointing out the additional detail that bull fighters were armed with prodding swords and provoking capes. Maybe the imagery of Usagi dressed as such a dashing figure had been exciting to her.

At the edge of her gaze Usagi spotted Motoki grinning and shaking his head behind the counter he manned, before going back to reading his magazine. He had part-time employment here at the Crown Game Centre, handing out change and making sure the arcade machines ran smoothly. The Crown Game Centre had been Usagi's favourite hangout for as long as she could remember; however for a long time the Moon Princess had given it a wide berth whenever Motoki had been working. He was Mamoru's best friend. Mamoru, her... Prince.

Usagi had fretted over how Motoki would behave, what he thought, how he felt about... well, her. She had broken his best friend's heart. He had likely had front row seats to Mamoru's pain; been his shoulder to cry on; the rock to lean on. Usagi had dreaded a confrontation. Motoki telling her how disappointed he was with her, or perhaps even his outrage, him yelling and shouting. The judgement. People loved to do that. Judging from afar, judging something they had not the first clue about. No one could know or understand why and what she felt for Rei. How Usagi could bring herself to shatter the heart of someone as charming and lovely as Mamoru, to turn her back on their future, on fate. It was something just her and Rei could truly share the sense of. The judgement shouldn't have bothered the Princess; she should have been stronger than that, brushed it off, her business her own. But she wasn't strong like that. She wasn't like Rei; that brash exterior and all that fire inside. She was just her, Usagi Tsukino, average girl... most days.

However it had been Usagi that had been guilty of judging without understanding. Motoki was every bit the friend to her as he was to Mamoru. Maybe he didn't really get it, yet he accepted it. He gave Usagi's heart, and the love it had for *her* best friend, the benefit of the doubt-the respect it deserved. Even now, having brought Rei here with her, the girls' obvious affection for one another poured before his eyes, he smiled and believed in it. Usagi should have believed in him.

Anyway, as if she could have boycotted the Crown Game Centre forever. They had all the best games here. And Motoki sometimes gave out free credits when he was in a good mood and Usagi bugged him enough.

Rei had another sigh and went back to looking at the game screen, hands on the second-player controls beside Usagi. "Would Luna move in with you?"

"Hmm?" Usagi replied, wondering what her girlfriend was on about at first. "Yeah, of course. Why?"

"Birds don't get along with cats," Rei said dispassionately while tapping the strong kick button, despite Usagi's character clearly blocking with full defence gauge. Was she even *trying*?

"Luna isn't a *cat* cat." Luna was like a... space cat. That talked. And wasn't really a cat. Sometimes.

"Okay, let me put it this way," the raven-haired teenager answered, a small smirk wrestling to appear on her face. "Luna and *I* don't get along."

"She just needs to... well, she already knows you," Usagi puzzled as she wiggled her joystick, sending Ibuki into a sudden series of flying kicks, knocking Rei's character to the other side of the screen. "Luna just needs, um, time. To get her mind around it. Us. I tell her all the time about how great you are and the stuff we do and how happy I am."

The smirk came out on Rei's face. "I'm sure she enjoys every second of that."

"She's just kind of stuck-up and traditional. She remembers the Moon Kingdom better than we do. It's probably against royal decree or something that the Moon Princess dates one of her personal guard."

"'Dates'? Is that what we're doing?" Rei remarked, her tone becoming smoky.

"Well... yeah. That's what girls our age do, isn't it? We date."

"You were more or less engaged to... you know, before." Rei still had trouble saying Mamoru's name out loud. The guilt of a crushed heart and a smashed destiny wasn't just Usagi's burden.

"That's because..." Usagi frowned with thought, "...everything was arranged back then." Back then, in the past many thousands of years ago. The blonde blinked suddenly, and she finally turned her head from the arcade game's screen. "You want to get engaged?"

"That proposal didn't quite live up to my fantasy," Rei replied with sarcastic amusement. She looked away back to the screen, but something told Usagi her Fire Senshi's wistful gaze peered into a different place. "I don't know. Maybe. Maybe one day. Doesn't everyone have that dream eventually?"

Usagi turned back to the game screen also, in her case for certain not really seeing it. The Moon Princess hadn't considered an engagement. *The* engagement. But of course, getting engaged was to be expected. It was the natural progression of love. Mamoru and her... and now that there was no Mamoru and her, *Rei* and her. It should have dawned on Usagi that Rei would want the same thing. Exchanged symbols of their mutual feelings and commitment, a promise of forever and the binding ritual to come...

Engaged meant married sooner or later. Was that okay? Usagi hadn't heard of two girls getting married before. But she would be Queen of everything around her at some period in the future. She would get to make the rules then, wouldn't she? As for the present, Usagi wasn't sure what to do. What would her Papa say to the news of her swearing herself to Rei like that? Her brother? What would Rei's Grandpa say? And then there was everyone at school, and... Their friends would get it; they knew what was destined in the Silver Millennium, the bonds and the roles they would each adopt. Everyone else in Usagi's and Rei's lives weren't privy to fate, though. When she really thought about it, it had Usagi somewhat unnerved. And yet when the blonde glanced at Rei, gazed upon her and her dark and quiet beauty, imagining their wedding day, planning it in her head; the decor, the dresses, the cake, every last detail; marrying her Princess of Mars was the perfect daydream.

"Nevermind," Rei lightly laughed off. "Just thinking out loud. We're still in High School for Heaven's sake."

"Let's practice one of your special moves," Usagi said, scampering back to a subject she felt on sure footing with. "The fireball. You remember how to do it?"

"Pretty confident I do," Rei said smugly, gripping her control stick tighter.

But a couple of minutes later Rei wasn't smug anymore and Usagi was gawking at the arcade screen in disbelief. "No, Rei! That isn't right! I can see you! It's back-diagonal-down, down, *forward*! You're doing back, back-diagonal-down, back, forward-diagonal-down, forward! And with a bunch of random punches in between! Are you even trying?"

Rei abruptly ceased violently jamming her control stick all over the place, possibly just before it was ripped clean out, and pushed herself back from the machine with a frustrated snarl. "That's it! No more! Who cares anyway? This is useless for real life!"

"Do you like *fun* in real life? Do you? Because this is *fun*, Rei!" Usagi yelled back, spinning around after her irritated-and irritating!-girlfriend.

"Usagi, that move is *impossible*!" Rei exclaimed, flinging a hand at her side of the controls. "How can you go from down to forward in one move without hitting the diagonal? It's insane!" The girl ground her teeth, seething silently to herself for a moment, before suddenly boiling over again. "I can make my *own* fireball. Do you want to see it?"

"This was the deal!" Usagi pouted, resorting to whining. "You teach me to be a miko, and I pass on my amazing video game skills to you! I'm doing my part!"

"Look, you don't have to. I release you from your obligation," Rei said, waving a theatrically dismissing hand at the blonde, before folding her arms. "Sorry-" She bent forward and kissed Usagi briefly on the lips. "-but I'm done."

"But two player still has credits~!" an appalled Usagi cried after Rei as the other girl walked over to try her hand at the nearby taiko drum rhythm games. They didn't even count as video games! Couldn't Rei stop being a miko for just a little while?

"Why do you have to make Rei mad all the time?"

"I didn't-" Usagi reflexively began, further pouting at the accusation. Then she remembered.

Turning away from her withdrawing girlfriend, the Moon Princess was met face-to-face with another Moon Princess. Chibi-Usa and Hotaru had tagged along with Usagi and Rei from the Hikawa Jinja, in spite of much heavy sighing and foot-dragging on the blonde's part. She didn't actually mind her cute and quiet friend Hotaru at all, but loud and obnoxious Chibi-Usa could *so* drive her up the wall sometimes. Usagi had to live with the pink-haired girl; she didn't want to hang out with her as well when she didn't have to! Moreover, these were Usagi's precious *private* moments with Rei, her beloved girlfriend; why did Chibi-Usa *always* have to butt in?

Usagi folded her arms like Rei had done seconds earlier, and adopted a resentful demeanour. "She's mad because *you're* here. You spoiled everything!"

For an instant Chibi-Usa appeared crushed, quickly looking after where Rei had gone, and Usagi felt ashamed for lying. It was as if the head had been ruthlessly twisted off the young girl's favourite doll right before her eyes, and that head and the remaining carcass were in Usagi's guilty hands. Almost as swiftly however, Chibi-Usa's gaze returned to Usagi, with a hardened expression beneath. "Whatever! You're full of *lies*, Usagi. Rei doesn't like that."

Usagi scowled harder, mainly to mask her remorse and worry. Why did Chibi-Usa always have *something* to say? Something that painted *Usagi* as the terrible person, and not *herself*-the rightful terrible person. Anyway, how did Chibi-Usa know what Rei liked? Maybe Rei liked... um... lies...

Chibi-Usa really was annoying.

The other Moon Princess conspicuously nudged Hotaru with her elbow; and that along with a hushed urging to 'go on' prompted the Senshi of Rebirth to sluggishly leave the small girl's side and walk over to the rhythm games, where Rei seemed to be beating out her prior frustrations on a pair of unfortunate drums, equally unfortunate batons in each hand.

"Hotaru, wait!" Usagi bade, turning after the younger girl. "I need a second player!"

Hotaru tensed, pausing unsurely and looking back over her shoulder, similar uncertainty warring in her timid eyes.

"Leave her alone, Usagi," Chibi-Usa said sharply, her voice low and surprisingly firm. "I'll play with you."

Usagi frowned, watching as the tension-at least some of it-faded from Hotaru's frail body. Hotaru proceeded onwards, joining Rei. "Can you even reach the controls?" Usagi said, frowning harder once she'd returned her gaze to Chibi-Usa.

"*Yes*," the pint-sized Princess replied testily.

Chibi-Usa manned the arcade game's controls beside the present day's Moon Princess, although the bulk of her attention was weighted towards her best friend next to Usagi's best friend, rather than the fighters on screen. Usagi frowned some more. Sometimes it wasn't easy to grasp that this was her future daughter... or maybe it was more *awkward* to do so. Mostly the blonde tried not to think about it. She did wonder now and again though how Rei coped with the living, breathing proof of their destiny, their love, right before their eyes on a daily basis. Was she like Mamoru had been, embracing it effortlessly? Come to think of it, was Chibi-Usa proof of Usagi and Rei's marriage as well? Children came after marriage, after all.

Usagi hadn't asked Chibi-Usa much about what it was like where she'd come from. What Rei and herself were like. She'd quizzed Chibi-Usa before, when the young girl had first materialised in the present years ago, and with claim of a very different second parent. The blonde had gotten over the novelty, the curiosity... *Really* she had! Anyway, Chibi-Usa was so tight-lipped about her home millennium that prying spicy future gossip out of her was frustratingly next to impossible-she clammed up at the mere mention, at least if Usagi was doing the mentioning! The future and its past impact on the present were kind of embarrassing actually, when Usagi stressed her mind to fathom their intricacies at length, which she tried to do as little as often. Chibi-Usa's very existence meant that Usagi and Rei had... they'd been... well... *together*. Sure, the blonde and her Senshi of Passion got up to all sorts that had her blush to reminisce, but that was behind closed doors, just the two of them, in *private*. Chibi-Usa was a walking, talking, public symbol of Usagi and Rei's intimacy, for every one of their friends to see and realise the implications of! Yes, the best policy was just to not think about futures, and marriage, and daughters. Chibi-Usa was an everyday brat. A brat that Usagi loved deep down if she *really* had to confront her feelings, but a brat first and foremost. Nice and simple.

How would she and Rei make a baby anyway? Which of them would give birth? What would Rei be like under the influence of crazy hormones? Usagi shivered at the last.

The blonde damped down the rest of her thoughts-*nice* and *simple*! "Are you playing or what?" Usagi impatiently demanded of Chibi-Usa instead. Why could no one take video games seriously?

Chibi-Usa twisted the joystick a bit, but she barely favoured the screen with the slightest of glances, practically ignoring the other girl who was supposed to be her fight opponent and Rei's replacement. Usagi's scowling persisted. "What's going on?" the blonde prodded, looking where Chibi-Usa stared. "What?"

"I'm trying to listen!" Chibi-Usa suddenly burst out with, though in as low a whisper as her apparent irritation at Usagi would allow.

"Listen to what?" Usagi asked; her own voice dropping as the thrill of curiosity bit her, erasing all prior concerns. She bent down to bring herself more in line with the stature of the other girl, face hovering next to Chibi-Usa's in shared conspiracy.

"To Hotaru and Rei," Chibi-Usa explained in a rushed hush, as if Usagi should have known already. "Hotaru worked hard to bring herself to spill her guts to Rei, and now that she is *you're* not going to ruin it for her!"

"Spill her guts to Rei about what?"

"About...! Grrr, forget it!"

Usagi blinked blankly as Chibi-Usa's mouth clamped shut angrily, but she believed she got the picture. Not too far back Rei and Hotaru had faced each other as bitter foes, Sailor Senshi against Sailor Senshi, friend against friend-something so... just *wrong*. Usagi's heart had bled to witness it; their clash atop Juuban High's rooftop with neither Inner nor Outer Senshi holding back. And all because of her. Friends had fought because of Usagi. They'd hurt each other because she'd been... Weak? At the time Usagi had thought it so, but looking back had it been weak to give in to her heart? She had blamed herself regardless. She had tried to step in, to stop it, but had only got in the way, getting hurt herself in the process and escalating things further between Rei and Hotaru. Usagi had felt so out of control back then. Her life, both as a Senshi and as a girl; everything around her gone wild.

She had understood Hotaru, just as she understood her now. Before, the darkhaired girl had harboured grave worries for the fate of her best friend, Chibi-Usa, if Usagi and Mamoru did not fulfil their roles of being the future Moon Princess's parents. If Usagi abandoned Mamoru for Rei, what would become of the girl that never was? Usagi had understood, because she had asked herself the same. The painful consequences, the burden of destiny, all had weighed on her and ultimately had compelled her to break Rei's heart instead of anyone else's... with the exception of her own. It had taken the image of Rei, bled out and burnt out at the heights of Tokyo Tower for the Moon Princess, for Usagi, to drown out the what-ifs, the fears, the responsibilities and destiny itself, enabling her to listen, really listen, to that broken heart of hers.

There were times, alone in silence, or lying in Rei's arms, Usagi contemplated how it might have been if her every fear had come true. If the price of listening had caused her daughter to never be born, for Crystal Tokyo to never arise with a throne for King and Queen, for the Silver Millennium to not be all it could and should be. Setsuna had said Usagi wouldn't be conscious of a change in the timeline, but the blonde still felt she would somehow know if Chibi-Usa was missing. In that event, she didn't know how she would take it or what she would do.

Fate had been kind.

Usagi turned her ear towards where Rei and Hotaru were, all of a sudden desperate to eavesdrop with Chibi-Usa. She couldn't help wanting to hear. Most of all, she wanted Hotaru to be comfortable with Rei again. That the Senshi of Rebirth felt a need to talk to the miko meant that she wasn't comfortable enough for Usagi's liking.

"Um... Wh-What are you playing?" Hotaru nervously opened with. Poor Hotaru. She was so shy and gentle.

"Taiko no Tatsujin 12," Rei replied with an easy smile despite maintaining her focus on the game's screen.

"C-Can I play too?" Ohh, Usagi's heart went out to Hotaru!

"It's not a two player game," the raven-haired girl said. Rei! How could she?

"Oh..." Hotaru mumbled, fidgeting there awkwardly, rubbing her forearms. She made it look as if the floor was burning hot where she stood and her feet longed to escape. Usagi silently fed the slight girl her encouragement, resisting the urge to yell at Rei for being so cold.

"But we can take turns," Rei continued, turning to flash her smile at the younger girl. Hotaru smiled back. Success!

"I've never played this before..." Hotaru said timidly as Rei handed her the drumsticks, the latter accepting them with a dubious pair of glances. Rei went on to give a cursory summary of the mechanics of the arcade game, and somewhat snappily ordered Hotaru to 'go for it'. As the pale Outer Senshi struggled to tap the drums with the necessary force let alone keep up with the sought after rhythm, Rei periodically offered advice and guidance, mostly tinged with tender commiseration. Taiko no Tatsujin obviously wasn't Hotaru's game.

When the game's round was over, exhausting Rei's credits, the Senshi of Rebirth quickly handed the batons back into the miko's possession. "I'm sorry. I wasn't very good," Hotaru apologised.

"That's okay," Rei said brightly, but the shamefaced girl was already slinking off, head down, back towards her best friend's safe company.

Usagi groaned sadly in sync with Chibi-Usa, before finally remembering her own paid up arcade game she had beside her. She turned back to the controls and the screen as Chibi-Usa did, only to see 'Game Over' blinking unhappily for both players.

* * *

"I'll be less than a minute."

Ami used her toes on each respective heel of her shoes to hurriedly remove them, then left them behind in the genkan to scurry deeper into the apartment she resided in with her mother. She'd lived most of her life here-as far back as her memory endured-and it was what anyone would consider her home. But not Ami. The white and stark walls with their pictures so familiar that they may as well be one and the same; the austere contemporary furniture with their clean and sharp lines, and fabrics and textures she knew the feel and comfort of like she knew the touch of her own skin or hair; the smells, the sights, everything around her-it was the *before*. Ami saw the past, something that had worn out its once soothing welcome. She didn't hate it here. However, the walls, the furniture, it all seemed to hem her in, pressing, small and constricting, driving her to contemplations of escape. This apartment, this home, had played out its role in her life, like an old school she'd graduated from. She felt less and less at home every day.

Ami shuffled across the tiled floor, her socks slipping back and forth against their cold smoothness, taking the habitual route to her bedroom, right down to the way she polished the tiles as she went. The grey carpet in her room stopped her sliding, the plush flattened by the frequent treks of her feet over the years. Just her feet. In the past she had been a different girl. The girl that had spent her life hunched over the desk beside her bed, the girl that had voluntarily imprisoned herself in these four walls, self-deluding chains of study and school keeping the world out. A world Ami had not wanted to be a part of.

"Still keeping it tidy, I see."

Ami turned from the sight of her desk to the tall girl in her bedroom's doorway, the girl's green eyes skipping around the Senshi of Water's space with interest.

The girl in the past had been nothing but scared. It had taken a friend for her to let the world in. First one and the love of friendship she'd introduced, then another with her passion... then others. It had taken courage.

Ami nodded, blushing slightly. Her private space, seen by someone else. It still tweaked at the old insecurities, even now. Or perhaps it was the radical change itself. A friend in her room, welcomed and unjudging, was one thing. A girlfriend-*her* girlfriend-who she kissed and cuddled and loved, was quite something else.

Makoto walked in, bemusement on her face as she examined the personal touches Ami had brought to the room. There were few. Schoolbooks and stationery defined Ami's bedroom, though they no longer defined her.

Ami opened her wardrobe and took out her school uniform neatly draped on a hanger. She'd need it tomorrow morning; however her first stop wouldn't be Juuban High but this apartment, an appearance put in for her mother's benefit, to make it seem like the girl in the past still existed. Her mother was needed at the hospital tonight and into the earlier morning hours, which meant this apartment would be empty. Ami would go to the home she felt in her heart, to where her future waited to begin. One day she'd never come back here. At least not in the same manner she did now. One day she'd think of home, and Makoto and the brunette's apartment would be all her mind envisioned. It was sad to think on, especially the thought of her mother by herself, but Ami had learned to put it out of her mind. Thanks to friends and courage she had learned that change wasn't to be feared.

Makoto picked up the spectacles case on the windowsill, her idle interest having her gently open it. Ami didn't need glasses. In the strictest sense she'd never needed them, but there had been a time she had believed she had. Something to place between her and everything else, the blue-haired girl in the past always looking through the safety of glass into the outside world.

Makoto closed the case, replacing it on the ledge. She didn't ask. Hadn't ever. She knew. She understood and accepted quietly; silently supportive, strong for everyone. That was Makoto. Ami didn't have to worry with her, although it didn't cease the behaviour utterly. *That* was Ami. She had been nervous still to explain about the other day at Makoto's apartment building, about the Senshi of Thunder's apparently new neighbour and his... perturbing... relation to her mother and why, because of the latter, she had rebuffed their normal affection. Then Makoto had listened, and the more she had listened, the more Ami's nervousness had abated, with only the situation of Takeru Sakai itself responsible for lingering anxiousness. And Makoto had understood. And then Ami had been left questioning once again why she had felt she'd needed to keep everyone at arm's length, and how she had lived alone, ignorant, for so long behind glass.

"We should stay here tonight," Makoto suddenly proposed.

Ami blinked several times, taken aback. "Here?" This wasn't really the place for friends and... more.

"Sure," the brunette said, walking over. "It isn't fair that you're always the one that has to get up before it's even light out."

"It's alright. I normally wake early," Ami replied, automatically obliging. It was true, though. She was an early riser since before she'd gotten a girlfriend to hide from her mother, every extra hour precious for additional revising and study.

One corner of Makoto's mouth quirked knowingly. "Yeah. But everyone needs a break. We can take turns if that sounds better." She took the uniform in Ami's hand from her, and with her long reach stretched her arm over the shorter girl's shoulder, putting it back in the wardrobe. Ami's breath held when Makoto's chest was pushed but for an inch into her face, close enough for the Senshi of Water to smell her. "Tonight's my turn."

More breathless than she had expected, Ami quickly turned her head from the close up of her girlfriend to the bed. "The bed's too small." Just a single, meant for a solitary individual like the room was.

Makoto reviewed the bed as well. "I'm positive you'll calculate how to fit me," she said, smiling again.

"You don't have your sleepwear," Ami continued, finding her voice was shrinking, sounding small and hushed.

"I can borrow yours," Makoto said without missing a beat. Her arms came to casually rest on the Senshi of Wisdom's shoulders.

"They're not your size."

"Then I'll sleep in my underwear," the taller teenager declared, her arms folding around Ami's neck, fingers teasing with the bob of blue locks at the nape.

"Wearing that might be uncomfortable for you," Ami kept on, unable to look the Senshi of Courage in her eyes any more.

"Then I'll..." Makoto began, and Ami could hear the grin in her voice. "...I'm sure you're smart enough to think of an alternative," she finished, different from what Ami had anticipated in her mind and all its sudden capacity for limitless and uninhibited imagination.

Makoto kissed her, the other girl's lips gentle against Ami's, soft and undemanding. Nevertheless Ami melted into them without resistance, her heavy eyelids closing just as easily. She felt Makoto manoeuvring her, and the bed against the backs of her legs. Then Ami was lowered onto its waiting cushioning, and never before had it felt so relaxing and welcoming. She opened her eyes to Makoto over her, all but smothered by the bigger girl. Ami believed she could see how to accommodate Makoto in her bed.

"You'll fit," she said between kisses.

Makoto smiled with mischievous pride at the Senshi of Wisdom. "I knew you'd figure it out. But now what to wear...?"

Ami found herself smiling too, already knowing the answer to that one the second it had been a question. The stolid surroundings of her room were at odds with the emotion coursing through her and the person responsible for them above her, neither of which should have existed here. At least before. It reinforced that this wasn't Ami's room anymore. It belonged to that other girl. *This* girl liked not being alone. *This* girl liked having a girlfriend, and having her here. *This* girl was home wherever and whenever her lips met Makoto's.

The key in the lock; the lock turning with a hard click; the door breaking away from its seal with the doorjamb. Ami heard it all suddenly, a horrifying cascade.

"She's back!" Ami hissed, lips tearing away from Makoto's, starting to sit up. She didn't grill herself on why her mother had returned when she should have still been at work in the hospital, but faced the pressing reality that she *was* back. An explanation would come, but first she needed one of her own.

Ami scrambled out from underneath Makoto and off the bed, feet hitting that familiar carpet. Makoto should not have existed here. For Ami's mother, that past was still the present as far as she was aware.

Ami rushed into the living area, literally skidding to a halt on the tiles when she saw that it was indeed her mother in the foyer. It meant a dissolution of her plans with Makoto, however if it was just that Ami would have accepted it without too much anguish. There would be other nights. However, her mother was not alone.

"I... wasn't expecting you," the Senshi of Water awkwardly admitted. Her gaze twitched between her mother and the man entering the apartment behind the woman. Perhaps when Ami moved out her mother would not be lonely for long.

"I had a colleague cover for me," Ami's mother said, taking off her slip-on shoes.

"Your mother's been working too hard for her patients she's come to neglect her own needs," Takeru added. His voice, so alien here in Ami's sanctuary-*former* sanctuary-immediately pulled the teenager into withdrawal, her feelings and thoughts cocooning themselves like old times. She hated herself for it.

"Is... is that okay?" Ami stammered.

"He owed me from before. A *long* time before," her mother said, lightly chuckling afterwards at her workaholic ways.

"I just wasn't expecting you," the Senshi of Water lamely said again.

"Not doing something you shouldn't have been, I hope!" Takeru joked. His half-smile towards Ami seemed mocking in a different light however, the girl's defensiveness making more of it than there was.

"Nonsense," Ami's mother brushed off, beaming proudly. "Ami's the perfect daughter."

"Hi."

Ami looked behind her at Makoto in her bedroom doorway waving nervously to the new arrivals. Having a friend over wasn't special... really. Nothing could be read into it.

"Oh, Makoto," Ami's mother greeted. "Maybe you can stay for dinner as well?" The blue-haired woman lifted the shopping bags Ami hadn't noticed before in her hands.

"Ah... I'm not sure..." Makoto vacillated, shifting looks between Ami and her mother, obviously struggling for insight in what to do. An excuse, escape, was what Ami tried to convey with her own eyes whenever they met her girlfriend's. Inside, Ami hated herself more. She wished she had more courage still, just enough to tell her mother everything and not subject the person she loved to *this*. Still the shy girl at the end of the day.

"Four's better than three," Takeru pitched in. "Like a double date."

Ami's mother clicked her tongue in light-hearted disapproval as she moved into the kitchen overlooking the open plan living and dining area. Ami had never seen her mother like this before. She forgot that Saeko Mizuno was a person herself, a woman, and alone. No. Ami *couldn't* think like that. Just no.

"Umm... alright..." Makoto succumbed, though by her expression she hadn't accepted Takeru's wisecrack with a light-heart herself. Ami's face likely looked a lot like hers. Nevertheless, Makoto bravely favoured Ami with a reassuring look. Perhaps she didn't want Ami to cope with her mother and her... friend... all by herself. It was sweet, but Ami wasn't sure the brunette staying was better over her hasty departure.

Makoto thoughtfully went to assist Ami's mother in the kitchen with the cooking, maybe seeing a means of getting into the woman's good graces-though with the cost of abandoning Ami. Ami would have helped too, but amid the two cooks there would be little left for her to busy herself with. And her mother would have considered it rude to leave their guest by himself and probably shooed her out in any case. The Senshi of Water had been prepared to force her presence into the kitchen role regardless, but instead resigned herself to sitting on the couch opposite the one Takeru had splayed himself upon, the young man taking to lounging as if it were his home, such was his cavalier attitude.

Takeru was not one to remain quiet. He grinned at Ami, showing many teeth, the girl likening it to a smug wolf. "Nice seeing you again."

"Mm," Ami nodded, sitting stiff on her sofa, knees firmly together and her hands on her lap.

Takeru stretched his arms out on the top of his couch and looked over his shoulder, watching Makoto and Ami's mother bustle around the kitchen for a few moments. When he turned back, his smile was still there. "You hang out with Makoto a lot."

"She's my best friend," Ami answered, reacting unconsciously. Talking about Makoto was comforting, as long as the talk didn't delve too deep. "We have been since she transferred to my school."

Takeru nodded a couple of times and was silent for a few seconds. "Your mother and I are best friends too."

Any comfort Ami had felt previous vanished. She swallowed, not knowing what to say, only that something *should* be said. She squirmed in her anxiousness and gazed longingly into the kitchen, wishing Makoto would just give up on being friendly and respectful and come to her, sheltering her from... whatever this was. Ami didn't want to hear this. She didn't want to think it.

"I'd like for us to get along also."

Ami heard him. Despite herself, she heard him. The Senshi of Wisdom felt like a hypocrite. Not all change was welcome. Not all change deserved the absence of fear. The past wasn't completely awful.

"I think we'll be seeing a lot more of each other."

Ami couldn't look at him. She couldn't lift her head, could do nothing but mumble acknowledgments as politely as she was able. She was not looking forward to dinner, even with Makoto by her side... or perhaps, at least in part, *because* the girl would be.

* * *

"Not this again," Rei grumbled, rubbing two clenched fingers across her brow and squeezing her black-painted eyes shut to the twinkling blaze of lights and chaotic dancing in the otherwise dark.

"What?" Usagi barked, evidently not hearing the miko above Muse's typically bass-heavy music. She bopped and wiggled to those rhythmic beats where they stood in line, her pink puffy frilled skirt shimmying to and fro in time with her hips, above her black and white striped stockings-those along with the rest of her ensemble something resembling a punkish harlequin. That was Usagi though, and she made the loud and childish look work-Rei wasn't sure if that observation was to the girl's favour, however. The Fire Senshi wondered if Usagi was aware that she couldn't keep still, or if the odango atama's body was simply a marionette to the music's strings surrounding them. "I'm just saying you could have been friendlier," Usagi pushed on, lifting her voice above the noise and making her own rather obnoxious contribution to it.

"I *am* friendly!" Rei exclaimed as her eyes flew back open, yelling too despite herself. "I'm friendly to everyone!"

Usagi directed a sour face at her, like she had just tasted something off-colour.

"I *am*," Rei insisted, understanding perfectly what her girlfriend was implying with that look.

"Hotaru is trying her best to reach out to you and be friends again," Usagi said, sashaying a couple of steps forward as the queue shortened.

"I didn't know we weren't friends," the raven-haired teenager muttered, marching forward beside the blonde. She checked the time on her mobile phone and had a token grimace for its display, not unsurprised by it. Rei and Usagi ought to have been heading for their respective homes instead of arguing with each other while standing in line at the bar for more drinks. Usagi's curfew would come and go before they hit the street outside at this rate. But it was the last club Rei had wanted to check, and the last of the girls' Sunday night before school began again. The investigation had become all about dancing and enjoying themselves one or two clubs back. And why not? There was nothing here, or at any of the other danceclubs the two Sailor Senshi had patronised this evening. At least they could have fun... if the odango atama ceased her nagging.

"Well... there was that... *that*... a while back," Usagi mentioned carefully, her dancing becoming slower as she attempted to exercise tact.

"We cleared the air a long time ago," Rei said soberly, remembering for a brief moment months past and an enraged Sailor Saturn across from her, and bloody fists and faces. It was another life.

"I'm not sure she thinks so, Rei," Usagi said dubiously.

Rei sighed and massaged her brow again. Sometimes she did wish to forget everything that had happened. The bad parts anyway. Being reminded of them, having to face them over and over again; her seething hate of Mamoru and betraying him, being responsible for his heartache; almost killing Minako; duelling Hotaru-they tainted the fairytale she had now if she let them-the price for her happiness-fester too long in her memory. "Then I'll tell her. Good enough?"

Usagi nodded solemnly, maybe conscious of the Senshi of Fire's changed mood.

Rei smiled softly, wistfully, and put her arm around her Princess's waist, drawing the girl next to her. Usagi returned the smile and the embrace. Seeing her love's face like that, feeling her pressed beside her, made every regret in Rei's mind disappear-made everything worth it. "Love me?" she spoke faintly, but was positive the din was no bar to her Princess's understanding.

Usagi turned her gaze away shyly. "No," she said, playfully matter-of-fact.

Rei smirked rakishly at her-then quickly spun away, turning her head in the opposite direction while shielding her face with a hand, almost wanting to ingratiate herself in the next queue adjacent to her.

"What's wrong?" a concerned Usagi asked in hushed conspiratorial tones, her cheek pushed up to Rei's as she huddled against her, joining the other girl in secrecy.

"I just saw some T*A girls in the line on the right of ours." If that didn't get her and Usagi to call it a night, Rei didn't know what would. She had only seen the girls' faces for a split second, but their likenesses were there in the miko's memory, passing her by in the halls of T*A Private Girls' School. Shouldn't those girls have been in their beds asleep by this hour? Such delinquents Rei's academy harboured.

"Oh? The ones from the last time?" Usagi perked up, straightening from their huddle to look over her shoulder with too much eagerness for Rei's liking. The blonde interlocked her arm with one of Rei's, tugging at the raven-haired teen to turn around with her. "Come on, I want to show you off! And *stick* it to them that you're mine!"

The odango atama bounced up and down on her heels excitedly, a new dance while searching the offending queue-offending to Rei anyway-for her girlfriend's schoolmates while the girlfriend in question cowered and cursed herself for saying anything. As Usagi called and waved, trying to attract the attention of whatever T*A girls were close by, Rei cast her head back in exasperation-and reluctant resignation-gazing up through the beams of spinning coloured lights into the cigarette smoke-filled darkness behind them.

Through the lights, past the smoke, buried in the gloom, Rei saw a shadow that did not belong to that darkness move on the ceiling. She didn't question what she saw, because she could *feel* it too. The hair on the back of the miko's neck rose, her senses prickling, all at once telling her what she had suspected. The shape skittered overhead, four bent and elongated shadows jerking unnaturally to manoeuvre it to the nearest wall. Then it dropped through the hazy murk and the gyrating kaleidoscope, swift and silent, disappearing into the crowd. But not unnoticed.

Rei tore off in the direction she had last seen it, her arm entwined with Usagi's hauling her Princess along with her as she smashed a path with her shoulder towards the wall, earning glares and often swears from anybody unfortunate enough to be between her and her quarry. But it was for them that Rei surged ahead; although unfortunate should they be knocked aside or to the floor, they were lucky to be behind her and whatever it was she pursued. Not everyone here would be as blessed if Rei slowed for even a fraction of a second.

The Fire Senshi pushed herself out the other side of the crowd and into a clearing neighbouring the wall where the music wasn't as loud nor the people as lively. There were shiny steel tables and chairs here, many of the latter vacate, and those that were occupied, were occupied by the exhausted and inebriated, judging by all the slouching and mountains of empty glasses. The perfect hunting ground.

Rei stopped dead. Usagi stumbled into her back, huffing and puffing, and emitted a tortured whine. "Okay, okay! I won't say anything to them!" she cried.

"Shhh!" the miko shushed quickly. She could feel it still. It lurked and hunted... but so did she.

"What's going on? Why'd you drag us all the way over here?" Usagi said, looking up at Rei sullenly and then at the tables and chairs, still holding onto the Senshi of Fire's arm. There were occasions Rei longed for the other Sailor Senshi to have her ability to detect the mystical and paranormal. It would save so much time and trouble. Until then, this was her role to play.

"Wait," Rei whispered.

Usagi nodded gravely. She could sense that Rei sensed something. Maybe that was plenty.

"There."

Breaking from the crowd of revellers, a lone woman stepped into the sitting area. Appearing no different from the other people in Muse, yet... there was something about her. The way she walked; how she wore her clothes; the expression on her face; a look in her eye... something *off*. She moved towards a man slumped in a booth by himself, the array of cocktail glasses on the table before him testament to his slack-jacked expression and flaccid posture. For all intents and purposes dead to the world. Guard down. Alone. Vulnerable.

The woman approaching could have been a friend not wishing to wake another friend; a Good Samaritan checking on somebody who had obviously had more drink than he could handle; she could have even been a thief chancing upon an easy mark. Normal explanations for seemingly abnormal behaviour. But Rei knew better. Her logical mind may have still offered those rationalisations, however instinct-the only way to describe the *knowing*-whispered to her the truth.

The 'woman' turned her head and the miko locked eyes with it. It knew that Rei knew. For a moment the façade wavered. The youma mocked the girl with a smile too wide to belong to a human; its jaw stretching too low and baring too many sharp-edged teeth. Then it darted away, abandoning its prey and seeking shelter in anonymity among the club's dancers.

Usagi's fingers dug into Rei's arm. "Did you see that?" the blonde squeaked.

"I did," Rei breathed. And then she was off and running, on the trail of the youma.

The Senshi of Fire and Passion threw herself into the nightclub's partying throng once more, dodging bouncing bodies and thrashing limbs while bathed in a disorientating flickering lightshow. There was no need to chaperone Usagi any longer; the Moon Princess ran and weaved across the dancefloor with her, a mere step behind, relying on the miko's senses. They had lost sight of the youma but Rei knew where it was heading. With its cover blown it would want the darkness again. It would want to *evade* her again, like it or one of its sort had several days ago. Rei would be faster this time. This time there was no second guessing-no second chances for monsters.

"R-Rei! You're really here! Ah, I-*we*-never thought we'd meet-"

Rei skidded on her heels as she almost collided with a gathering of high school aged girls, and then nipped around them, continuing the chase. That they were more T*A girls helped put extra spring in her step.

"She's out past curfew!" Rei heard Usagi yell back at the girls, before the blonde's bobbing odangos appeared by the Fire Senshi's side again. "Rei, what about our-*my*-curfew? I totally spaced!"

"Guess you're spending the night with me again," Rei shot back, turning her head to her love. Somehow she figured it wouldn't be as pleasurable as yesterday's night.

"Rei, look out!"

Rei looked back to where she was going only to smack straight into a tie and business suit, with a man's hard chest beneath. She tottered backwards several dazed steps, the right side of her face throbbing.

"Are you okay?" Usagi asked, quickly holding onto the other girl to help her regain her wits.

"Forget it. No time," Rei retorted just as fast.

"Ms. Hino, I apologise. I didn't see you."

*That* made Rei pause. She looked up at the person she had knocked into and felt her stomach seize at the sight of several men in black suits and ties, though sans their usual dark eyewear here in Muse's dusky ambiance.

"Ahhh! The spies!" the odango atama yelped.

"Come on!" Rei shouted through her clenched teeth, sprinting ahead. There was *no* time for her father now! Curses ran through her mind as the anger mounted within her. If the youma escaped her because of...!

The Fire Senshi reached the rear exit, her Princess not far behind. The door was swinging shut, and Rei caught it before it did. There was still a chance! She wrenched it open and charged into the back alley behind Muse, heedless of any danger. Certainly the youma could have elected to ambush her if it had sensed her pursuit, or was lying in wait for fresh prey after the interruption before. But with any luck it didn't know Sailor Senshi were tailing it. One youma could mean more youma. Rei wanted them *all*, not just a solitary hunter.

"It's gone," Usagi gasped at Rei's back, breathing heavily.

The alley was empty. How? The miko could still detect it, still *feel* the filth of its evil on her skin and in her bones, somewhere close but... not. She couldn't explain it. Had it ducked into another alley? Into one of the late night bars still open at this hour? Had it climbed as it had in the club, up onto the rooftops?

Rei ran down the alley a few metres, peering into every shadowed nook, every window lit or dark, and craning her neck to catch a glimpse of the upper storeys and roofs of the buildings penning her in. How? It was *here* still, yet its presence was fading.

The high heel of Rei's shoe made a dull thud on metal. She lowered her gaze to the manhole cover she had inadvertently trodden on. The sewers. Of course. Where else did vermin hide?

"Help me with this," Rei said to Usagi as she knelt down over the manhole cover. Had it been disturbed recently? The Fire Senshi couldn't tell. But she was *sure* of this. She wouldn't put her 10000 yen pumps through a traipse in the sewers for anything less.

"We're not going down there. I don't want to go down there!" Usagi wailed, standing on the other side of the manhole looking traumatised and near tears. "It smells. It's where people's... flushes go."

"You can stay here," Rei said, groaning afterwards as she slid off the hefty manhole cover herself, it rasping against the tarmac of the alley. "Seal it up after me and if they show up, tell the goons... something convincing." Her father's men were probably searching for her now. She had to go immediately, if only to keep up with the youma. Losing her awareness of the creature in the labyrinthine underground sewer tunnels of Tokyo wouldn't be a rewarding experience.

"Right!" Usagi agreed, cheering up. "I should get in touch with everyone too and tell them what's going on."

"Right." At least Rei had kept her Princess out of this, just as she had hoped. It was better like this.

Rei hopped into the manhole, her feet hitting a ladder's lower rungs that she couldn't even see in the darkness below. "If the cover's too heavy for you, you can-"

Usagi grabbed her arm. "Wait. I'm coming with you." The blonde looked slightly ill as she said it, her eyes dropping to the manhole's murk and the unknown revulsions waiting.

"It's okay to stay behind," Rei coaxed.

"It's not like I haven't been in the... the sewers before," Usagi said haughtily, if a bit shakily. "You know, before you-*and* Ami!-came along, I was-!"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember. Just..." The Senshi of Passion sighed in resignation. "Just hurry up. Don't fall or anything!"

Usagi favoured her with an insulted expression, but quickly climbed down the ladder, squeezing her svelte self past Rei. As soon as they were both below ground, Rei jammed her fingers through the holes in the manhole cover and dragged it with every scrap of strength her arms-and her fingers for that matter-had to move it back into its inconspicuous place. It would not do for someone to follow them. She was thinking of her father's cronies, but practically anybody could just fall in. Rei's arms screamed after she had plunged herself and Usagi into pitch blackness, the limbs quivering spasmodically as she clambered down the ladder blind.

"Rei, I don't like this," Usagi murmured uneasily once Rei had lowered herself into the tunnel proper. The Senshi of Fire found the other girl right next to the ladder, such that her body rubbed against the blonde's during her descent of the last rungs. "I'm not dressed for this kind of thing."

"And I am? Create some coveralls for yourself with your Disguise Pen," Rei whispered back. The complete silence, bar the dripping moisture, and the utter darkness had a way of reining in your voice. Perhaps lest you disturb something in the silent dark...

Usagi seemed content to just clutch onto Rei's arm. Rei hoped it was Usagi.

The Senshi of Fire crushed that manner of thinking. Nothing to fear down here except the evil she knew-that she felt. And it should fear *her*. Besides, who else would have such soft skin?

Rei dug out her mobile phone and flipped it open, muted blue-tinged light guiding the tunnel onwards, where instinct told the miko to follow.

"Don't wander off and watch where you step."

"'Wander off'? Why would I wander off down here?" Usagi whispered incredulously.

Rei smirked in the dark. "You never know with you."

"I told you, I'm a veteran at this sort of stuff!"

Rei supposed it was nice not to be alone in this, here, in the oppressive dark and dank of a monster's lair. She still wished she could have left her Princess behind and not subject her to the grime or the peril, but a big part of her was glad to be with Usagi. Maybe facing danger together with her wasn't so bad. After all, Usagi was at her safest alongside Rei.

* * *

Minako cringed as she felt what she'd thought was filth-caked concrete beneath her left foot dimple as if she'd stepped in mud, and then emit several panicked squeaks. She quickly lifted her boot, the squeaks shutting up. There were rats everywhere. Most fled from her torchlight, but some-her latest squirmy encounter a case in point-hung around to creep her out. If she wasn't standing on one inadvertently, they were running past her ankles in a hapless effort to avoid her disturbance to their abode, the sensation always shooting a sickened jolt through the blonde's body.

It could have been worse, however. Regular trips into Tokyo's sewers had seen her come prepared tonight. With her calf-length boots-while not a workman's or even rubber; the Senshi of Beauty *did* have to be seen wearing them after all before she descended into the tunnels; but they were a pair from her wardrobe she liked the least; cheap tan faux leather tarnished with old creases she had bought on impulse ages ago at a sale, and could toss out when all this was said and done-and along with her torch so she no longer had to rely on Artemis's eyes in the deep dark, sloshing through the literal bowels of the city was as easy as she could make it be. Minako even wore a baseball cap-it tended to drip down here.

"Shouldn't you be chasing these things?" the girl growled, flashing her torch's beam down at her feet to scare away any more rodents-and afterwards to check that none still had their little claws on her. "Away from me at least?"

"When have you seen me ever chasing a rat, or a mouse, or anything like that?" Artemis said from his perch flopped over Minako's shoulder, well clear of the repugnant hazards of the sewers. He was pretty fastidious for someone who licked the places he did.

"You loved pushing around that ball of wool I got you for Christmas that one time."

"I was humouring you, Minako," the feline sighed. "If you remember, you dangled it in front of me and wouldn't stop until I did."

"Still, use your cat powers to help me, would you?" Minako complained. "Hiss or meow or something so the rats get the message to clear out, there's a natural predator in the area. They hopefully won't know it's just *you*."

Artemis stewed wearily in silence, prompting Minako to grin broadly and tickle the cat's side affectionately.

"I can't see that many anyway," Artemis spoke up some minutes of walking later. "Rats, I mean. They aren't in great number here as they were in the other tunnels."

"This tunnel looks as nasty as the rest," Minako said, directing her torch about the circular hollow's walls, the shells of dozens of skittering cockroaches shining brightly as the light passed over them. "Nastier even. Maybe even rats have standards, low as they are." The blonde had never seen so many cockroaches in one place before in her whole life.

"Maybe..." Artemis solemnly mused.

With a quick shine of her torch the Senshi of Love and Beauty checked her watch reflexively, just for something else to do besides trudge through filmy 'water' and recoil at the vermin population. Very late, as usual. Another two hours or thereabouts and it would be time to head back to the surface and pretend she had been sleeping in her bed all this while, for the sake of appearances-'appearances' being her mother and father. But what was lost sleep and a little grime and horror compared to someone's life? The trade was a no brainer. Minako might have loathed her surroundings, might have complained in the morning after a scant three hours of rest, yet she *wanted* to be here. She was meant to be here. Doing the right thing wasn't always pretty or easy, but ultimately it *was* the right thing.

Minako smiled softly to herself. A no brainer.

"How are you and Setsuna?"

The Senshi of Love slowed her pace for a moment, taken by surprise. Artemis wasn't normally the type to probe into her love life-not these days. He knew of Minako's past; of her loss. And of her lovers. Still, despite all he knew, usually the feline steered clear of such topics, behaving as if his charge wasn't a red-blooded girl with passions and dreams that she longed to fulfil-or fulfil whenever and wherever she saw the chance, regardless how superficially or fleetingly.

"We're good," Minako lied. Though it wasn't *exactly* a lie when she wasn't sure how she and Setsuna were herself. So Artemis knew about her and the Senshi of Time. Luna's doing, maybe? She'd become too absorbed with the Sailor Senshis' personal relationships of late. "How are you and Luna?" Minako countered.

Artemis didn't rise to the bait. He saw through it. The blonde had predicted her loyal companion would. Instead the white kitty was quiet, introspectively so. Minako knew that he just worried about her. However after... everything... the Dark Agency, London... her heart and its desires were closed to everybody but herself; a struggle for her alone to face. To live with.

"Can you hear that?" Artemis suddenly said, his pointed ears turning to face forwards.

"What?" the Senshi of Love and Beauty whispered, turning her head so her right ear faced forwards in pantomime of her feline ally. She couldn't pick up what his heightened hearing could, only the never-ending dripping. But she trusted absolutely that he had heard something of worth.

Artemis leapt from Minako's shoulder, landing in the centre of the pool of torchlight held steady by the girl's hand. He looked back at the blonde over his shoulder. "I don't think we're alone."

He ran ahead with the swiftness of four legs, yet Minako followed equally as fast and nimbly. It could be the many sleepless nights and smelly repercussions were about to pay off.

* * *

Rei clasped Usagi's grimy and sweaty hand tightly with a hand no cleaner as the other girl half-climbed, half-fell, over the short drop into the lower part of the tunnel, where the miko spotted her precarious descent. There was a ladder, but the majority of the rusted rungs had broken off from the crumbling concrete face; the ones that still stuck around were probably a couple of heavy steps away from giving up their hold too. These sewer tunnels were old. Rightfully they shouldn't be thought of as part of the sewers; these were just tunnels, decades unused and forgotten, except by the things that lived in their dark.

It felt like Rei and Usagi had been walking for hours and hours, but unless her mobile phone's clock lied, it hadn't been more than one. Deeper and deeper the Senshi had followed the youma, through sloping tunnels, tunnels of sheer drops and more dodgy ladders, collapsed tunnels with barely standing room; deeper and deeper into the earth, into places where people no longer tread, no longer remembered existed, where light no longer reached.

Part of Rei had begun to worry how she and Usagi would get back. Some of the terrain they had traversed had been one way-down, always down. There would be a means to get back up this ledge-if the Fire Senshi boosted her Princess first-but the others they had climbed? This trip was one way. They'd have to find a different route out. There *would* be one in this maze. There had to be.

But, concerns for another time. Right now down, forward, was Rei's focus.

Usagi at her side again, Rei walked onwards, her phone's screen still lighting their steps. It was at least dryer here, though no less ghastly. The air was stale and still, polluted with dust and stench, and the rats and insects defecated and died where they willed, waiting to be trodden upon by the unsuspecting. Not every rodent body was desiccated or down to their bones.

"Ugh! Rei! I step-!"

"Shh!"

"I stepped in something!" Usagi hissed, her voice lowering as per the Fire Senshi's hushing. "It was squishy and horrible!"

"Do you need to announce it *every* time you step in something?" a vexed Rei hissed back.

"But it's gross," was Usagi's defence.

"I know it's gross. I don't need to be *reminded* it's gross. I don't want to think about how gross it is!" the raven-haired girl snarled through her teeth. It *was* really, *really* gross. Great. Now she couldn't think of anything else.

"My feet are wet too," the blonde said, unrelenting. "I can feel it, seeping in! It's probably someone's...! You know! Their...!"

"You're wearing platforms. I'm wearing open pumps," Rei remarked very carefully and very evenly.

"Ohhh... I'm so sorry Rei..."

The Senshi of Fire made to rub her temple that was beginning to ache, but quickly stopped herself, remembering her soiled hands just in the nick of time. She tried not to imagine what her feet looked like, or hear how they squelched with her every footstep. Like Usagi, it wasn't Rei's first experience tackling Tokyo's buried muck, but it wasn't the sort of thing you looked forward to repeating. Rarely did the average person trudge through the sewers by choice, or in favourable conditions. The last occasion Rei had been underground like this she had been grateful for the sewers and the escape from certain death they had provided, though she hadn't spared a second for anything other than staggering for an exit to see the sky over her head again. And to hold her Princess in her gaze once more. Now her Princess was right here with her, trudging the same muck as she. Perhaps that was a favourable condition of a sort, though the odango atama likely didn't share that view.

Regardless, Rei wished she had worn pants instead of a dress.

"I just wish I could see where I was going better," Usagi said quietly. "Can't you, like, conjure a fire or something?"

"I'm not a cigarette lighter you can flick on and off," Rei grumbled, lightly crossing over a pile of shattered bricks that had caved in from the tunnel's ceiling. Usagi clung to her, making her own way across as the Fire Senshi did, albeit less gracefully and with more stubbed toes. "It doesn't work like that."

"Do you have a cigarette lighter then?"

"Of course I don't," the miko said tersely.

"Well good. Don't smoke, Rei," Usagi said in a lecturing tone.

"You could have stayed behind..." Rei recapped somewhat longingly. Doing this by herself would have sucked, but if there was a safe avenue for Usagi to get back to street level now Rei would have gladly seen the blonde take it. Alas...

"I know. But no way," Usagi stated firmly, her grip on the Fire Senshi's bare arm strengthening.

Rei sighed, though it didn't emerge without a small smile behind it.

"Maybe we should give up though," Usagi proposed, her resolve withering. She took out her pink phone, though flipped it open to stare at its display rather than use it as a light source. "I can't get a signal down here," she muttered softly. "My parents are probably busting coronaries. Mama was already mad at my crappy maths score."

"We'll think of something to say. We always do," Rei said.

"We better!" the blonde snapped, in time with the sharp closing of her phone. "I'm going to be grounded for months!" She nudged Rei with her hip. "That means no *me* around anymore," she added pointedly.

"I understaaaand," Rei drawled wearily. "You couldn't survive without me."

"*No*, I meant *you'd* not have *me*!" Usagi leaned close, her lips to the raven-haired girl's ear. "I *know* you wouldn't be able to handle it," she said, in a tone that was entirely too knowing.

"I think you just stepped in something," Rei flatly announced.

"What? Augh!" the odango atama predictably grimaced. "But as I was saying, we should think about turning back," she continued, once she had finished hopping and scraping the sole of her shoe on the ground a few times. "Is the youma even still around?"

"It is." Rei stopped and angled her phone slightly more upwards, shining it further down the tunnel. In the distance, only just visible, a creature on all fours with limbs too long and flesh too cracked and grey to belong to a human being squatted, waiting, its bald head turned in the Sailor Senshis' direction. The gentle light in its five violet eyes; a single eye in the centre of its face surrounded in a cluster by the other four; made the orbs glitter like diamonds-but only for a moment. As the light fell upon the youma's undisguised form-no need for disguises in the dark corners of the world-it loped into another tunnel in an instant, out of sight.

Rei had felt the creature's presence all this time. It waited for them. It knew it was being tracked.

"Are you sure this isn't a trap?" Usagi gulped.

"It'll attack us eventually," Rei said. "But it's what we want," she added darkly, quietly. The youma no doubt believed Rei and Usagi foolish humans chasing after a curiosity; food or sport that would come to its claws willingly if it waited long enough. The Senshi of Fire guessed it was leading them to its hideout or to where more youma could join in, ensuring neither girls eluded capture. Either possibility was good. More youma meant more Rei and Usagi could clean out and prevent from plaguing the night again, while a hideout could mean survivors from earlier hunts and yet more youma still; the whole pack; the source. Rei didn't believe the monster she followed was acting alone. It would have attacked her and her Princess by now in the darkness if it was-plenty of places in the tunnels to leap out at the unwary. There were more youma down here. Sooner or later the miko would feel them too. She would *never* be the unwary.

"Maybe this is the moment to call for backup," Usagi worriedly suggested, already bringing up her watch communicator.

"No," Rei said, grabbing her girlfriend's wrist and the communicator with it. "Not until we know what we have here. It might only be this one."

"I guess..." Usagi half-heartedly agreed. "We'd look pretty stupid if it was just one lousy youma."

"Come on," Rei urged. The Senshi of Fire and Passion had no intention of calling anyone, pack of youma or no. She hadn't wanted to needlessly worry her Princess, but they were too far below the surface to rely on the other Sailor Senshi throwing in their assistance. It would take Ami, Makoto, and Minako ages to make their own way down into the sewers and find them, even with the locators embedded in the watch communicators. By then the fighting would long be over. Besides, more than Rei and Usagi for whatever number of monsters lurked would be overkill. Tonight was these creatures' last hunt. Rei had a fire inside that prophesised so.

The first Usagi was aware of the youma's den being close was the orange glow on the tunnel walls up ahead. Rei recognised that glow anywhere-fire. But the miko had been conscious of the nearing nest a while before, the vile collective blotch on her senses everything she needed to make her deduction. There was indeed more than a solitary youma. Exactly how many the girls would have to count for themselves when they saw them, but this was the pack Rei had been looking for.

"Usagi; be ready," the Fire Senshi whispered as they marched closer. In the firelight Rei could finally clearly see her love's dirty but beautiful face and the steadfastness in it. Usagi was ready.

With impunity Rei walked down the remainder of the tunnel and into the room it opened out into, Usagi not a pace after her. There was no point in creeping about, if there ever had been. Even the youma knew the score now... just not that it wasn't in their favour.

The cavernous room the youma had elected to make their home in was some kind of old sewage pump room, full of pipes of all sizes erupting from the walls to disappear into the floor or ceiling. Every pipe was rusted now, any pressure gauges smashed and their displays smeared to incomprehensible brown by dirt and dust. Like the rest of the tunnels this deep, this room was no longer part of the world. Except to the monsters... and those that would slay them.

The fire that had lit the tunnel's mouth belonged to one of several-cookfires, their tendrils of smoke crawling across the ceiling before finding escape through the overhead grates; the black scorch marks on the bricks above evidence that the fires had burned on and off for a long, long time. It was a scene Rei had half-expected, but had prayed to not be. Above the fires roasted bits of *people*, the missing people of Roppongi-and bits of them Rei rather wished she could forget. Like less than cattle the damned men and women were treated; not even butchered but *torn* *apart*, limbs and insides ripped free to haphazardly cook impaled on spits. What wasn't cooking lay in wet and bloody collapsed heaps, ravaged, barely resembling a human body any more. And the rest filled the maws of youma. Hungrily the wicked creatures devoured their latest catch, with such a vigour Rei was surprised they even bothered with the delay of the cooking process. Yet make no mistake; it was not civilised in any shape or form.

"I'm gonna hurl..." Usagi gagged, slapping a hand over her mouth.

There was also the smell of cooking meat permeating the room. Meat like no other. It just smelt... wrong. The aroma was on the brink of being appetising, like a juicy steak or a nice burger... that was how wrong it was.

The youma Rei and Usagi had tailed scurried over to its cohorts, the latter looking up from their feast to eye and salivate over the two new courses. The Fire Senshi picked out some species of youma in the two dozen or so crowded around the roasting spits she had seen before; pouring out of a rip in the sky at the top of Tokyo Tower or earlier, in Yokohama or Tokyo proper; these sewer denizens were leftovers from that derailed invasion-in other words, youma that hadn't been *killed* yet.

"I think it's that time," Rei said.

Usagi gave a resolute nod. "MOON COSMIC POWER!" Her voice echoed throughout the pump room and down the sewer tunnels; over the youma. A battlecry.

The Henshin Stick of Mars spun into existence from the open air, appearing in Rei's fist within a shower of sparkles. "MARS CRYSTAL POWER!" she roared after her Princess.

"MAKE UP!" the Sailor Senshi cried with one voice.

Rei was whisked away from the filthy underground of Tokyo, to a place where only heat and fire existed. The flames flocked to the girl, engulfing her and burning her clothes away, wreathing her in an inferno instead. The heat should have peeled her skin and charred her bones, but it felt comforting, protective-*right*. Rei realised in the months of peace she'd missed this feeling.

All at once the flames vanished, leaving her clothed in red, white, and purple, and with the alacrity of a whiplash Rei was back in the sewers. But as Sailor Mars, and with Sailor Moon standing beside her, both of them dressed in Sailor fukus.

"For Love and Justice I'm the sailor suited pretty soldier, Sailor Moon!" the blonde declared with an authority as if she owned these tunnels and the city above, and the youma were subjects that should prostrate themselves at her feet. "In place of the Moon-!"

"-and Mars-" Sailor Mars threw in.

"-we'll punish you!" the girls finished together, both striking imposing figures, stabbing challenging pointed fingers at the mass of feeding monsters.

Voices-if the garbled roaring could be called that-rose up from the mass, spitting out a language Mars couldn't decipher, and that she believed no one with a human tongue could. However, she did recognise 'Sailor Senshi!' in the mess of barks and growls.

"Stay behind me," Sailor Mars directed her Princess. The muddle of pipes would hamper and funnel the youma before they could reach and smother the Senshi outright, instilling a control on the battlefield-a blessing-nevertheless Mars wished to pit herself against the brunt of that storm *alone*.

"No way!" Sailor Moon rebelled, barging in front of the Fire Senshi and pushing *her* back with a poking elbow. "I came with you to-hey!"

Sailor Mars hastily dragged her objecting and stumbling love back into place at her rear, just as the youma collectively howled, shrieked, and screamed-then charged. The monster Sailor Mars and Sailor Moon had followed once again led, bounding towards the Senshi on all fours, two more of its species in support. They and the other youma assembled were nothing from this earth; evil, twisted things, with fangs and spikes and blades and poisons; bred not from nature, but from the need to torture and murder. Nature couldn't-wouldn't-have imagined such creatures into being. They were not meant for this world.

"Rin, Pyo, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!" Mars chanted at a raised paper ward held before her closed eyes. With a flick of her wrist one ofuda fanned into three. "Akuryou Taisan!" Her eyes flew open as she hurled the wards at the incoming youma, one pairing with each of the abominations.

When the ofudas touched the youma, plastering to their chests or faces, they immediately froze, too long arms and too long legs paralysed solid. They tumbled over like pushed statues, their momentum keeping them rolling along the ground, a strange spectacle for anyone not Sailor Mars.

"Sailor Moon!" the miko yelled.

Sailor Moon plucked her tiara off her forehead, the gold ornament developing a brighter and brighter glow until it was so bright it appeared as a glowing discus. "MOON TIARA ACTION!" the blonde shouted, launching the now weapon at the trio of petrified youma.

The tiara sliced through the defenceless creatures, through the veiny pale flesh and into their insides, searing and cleaving, eviscerating, spilling white blood and severed limbs in its path, before returning to its mistress.

The victory could not be savoured. More youma poured forward, already upon the girls. Sailor Mars leapfrogged over another of the beasts, this particular thing more dark brown matted hair than anything else, and lashed out with her splayed legs, kicking her heels into the deformed faces of two more spindly grey youma. She risked a look over her shoulder straight after, witnessing Sailor Moon clubbing the hairy youma where its head ought to be with the weighted end of her Spiral Heart Moon Rod in one hand. In the other her shining tiara hovered, to be thrown at a distant youma; a squat bulbous eyesore that Mars recalled could cough up balls of pure electricity. The tiara did its grisly work.

"FIRE SOUL!"

Sailor Mars slapped her hands together; index fingers extended; and fired a globe of flame at the youma. It collided with another hair-covered being, its coat helpless against the fire. It squealed oddly as it burned, its body the fuel for its pyre, and immediately ran in the opposite direction to the Senshi of Fire. Other youma parted for it, momentarily halted in what appeared to be fascination at the display.

They gestured and sneered at Mars, hesitant but hateful. The Fire Senshi almost believed she could see recognition in their inhuman gazes. Then the moment was lost, the monsters flinging themselves at her once more.

"FIRE SOUL!"

Youma caught fire and burned before Sailor Mars. Those that neared she punched and elbowed, kneed and kicked; battering them back until they could taste the flames themselves, *cooking* like the people had at their mercies; putting *them* to the fire. It felt good to tap the fire within her. Good to unleash it again at last. The sight of the youma ablaze, the heat and ash on her face, the smell of them roasting, overpowering all else, was invigorating. There was something primal and divine in the burning, pure and beautiful. The more Mars scorched the more she saw it, and the more she wanted to behold it.

Wetness splattered the raven-haired girl's cheek from overhead. She cast her gaze quickly upwards, seeing several of the grey five-eyed youma crawling on the brick ceiling, hiding in the cookfire smoke while defying gravity like some sorts of insects. They were trying to get behind her and Sailor Moon's position, to get at their backs.

"Above us!" Mars warned. "FIRE SOUL!"

One of the creatures dropped from the ceiling, catching a fireball full in the chest and erupting in flames. The Fire Senshi rolled over her shoulder out of its path, it landing in a flailing, screeching heap, frantically and fruitlessly attempting to save itself from burning alive.

"MARS FLAME SNIPER!"

Sailor Mars was already drawing her fiery bow as soon as she was upright. In a crouch she loosed an arrow constructed completely of flames at another dive bombing youma; this particular foe with her Princess in its myriad gaze. The arrow snatched the monster ruthlessly out of the air, impaling it through the ribs and then pinning it against the pump room's far wall. The projectile exploded on contact with the bricks, frying the youma and demolishing a chunk of masonry in the process.

"BURNING MANDALA!"

As Sailor Moon tossed her tiara, a heavy barrage of rings made of fire bombarded the youma that threatened the girls from overhead, the joint cutting and burning slaughtering the would-be ambushers, their pasty blood and brutalised bodies raining down around the Senshi.

"More~!" Sailor Moon squealed, shaking her sceptre anxiously ahead.

Mars turned her head where the blonde motioned-at the unexplored tunnel opening furthest from them. Apparently there were more cookfires housed in that stretch of the sewers, and more youma that had been sitting by them, snacking on humanity. They had come to see what the ruckus was about, reinforcing the youma line. There was a *lot* for just two Sailor Senshi. Sailor Mars's stomach should have been in knots; it was clear her Princess's was. But as long as Sailor Moon still stood, was still unharmed, the Senshi of Fire and Passion let the grim thrill of it all take her. And her Princess was in good hands.

"FIRE SOUL!"

Sailor Mars managed to let fly another of her attacks before the monsters ventured too near for her powers, the girl resorting to tried and true bodily violence. Beating them back to be set aflame proved harder with the greater number; punching one to the ground only had it be replaced by another, uglier and angrier, youma to be kicked and thrown aside, only for that one to be replaced as well. Those that got beyond the Fire Senshi's limbs at least had Sailor Moon to dispatch them with sceptre and tiara, the blonde wielding both somewhat unique weapons with skill that would have surprised anyone that didn't truly know her. Holding the youma force back so that they didn't stampede Sailor Moon and overwhelm Mars herself was getting tough, seconds of success more and more hard fought. Sailor Mars's muscles began to burn themselves, stinging from overuse, while the youma got more hits past her guard, scratching her and bruising her; gnashing fangs in her face. The injuries were minor, doing little to slow her, but it would only take one solid strike to destroy her momentum and possibly tear open a larger, gushing, wound that would bring her to her knees. Still, the thrill remained. Sailor Mars pushed harder, dancing on the knife edge, the burning in her arms and legs almost welcomed warmth. Her Princess, the one she loved, was behind her, relying on her. Doubt that she could not stand her ground didn't enter Mars's mind.

There was a bang, and Sailor Mars glimpsed a heavy metal grating fall from the smoky ceiling, smacking one unwary youma in the head and crushing it to the ground. Yellow-golden light radiated softly from the edges of the opening the grate had uncovered. Then it suddenly poured into the battlefield.

Sailor Venus dropped from the ceiling, her chain of glowing hearts caught around her body in a spinning spiral, one end in her grasp. She threw the chain in a wide circle as she fell, the weapon straightening from her body and lashing out at the youma-once, twice, three times she whirled it, culminating in a final revolution that swept the ground at ankle height. The monsters closest to the Love-Me Chain were sliced in half by the hot cutting energy contained in its lovely links; maimed, decapitated; while the rest further away were lashed bloody before their injuries sealed in the heat, and knocked off their feet. The pump room's pipes received no greater mercies, burned clean through wherever the chain touched, some segments cut multiple times flying loose.

Venus made a concluding crack of her whip on the prone body of one youma, tearing the frog-like creature's chest open in a literal flash; the wound blossoming all of a sudden and then searing shut just as quickly, as though an explosion had gone off within the guts of the beast. Above her Artemis's head peeked out of the grate's opening, taking stock of the scene.

"Fancy meeting you here," the Senshi of Love said casually to Mars. A wink and a lopsided smile later, the blonde continued her assault.

Sailor Mars grinned herself and renewed her own offensive, now that Sailor Venus had thinned the numbers for her. The raven-haired girl smashed her fist in the toothy maw of the closest youma; one of the grey multi-eyed crawlers; fangs snapping in twain beneath her knuckles, and then jabbed her elbow in the throat of another that thought to venture near, sending it into coughing fits.

"FIRE SOUL!"

A fireball to the first youma's stomach catapulted it backwards into one of its own cookfires, it roasting on the flames in a fair irony. The second, hacking, abomination launched itself at Mars, only to feel Sailor Moon's tiara colliding with it from behind; a meeting that proved gory and fatal.

Yet a third youma dared, bounding from nowhere, wailing as a banshee and as horrid and emaciated as a rotting corpse, to sink its six outreached talons into Sailor Mars. Unexpectedly its expression of rage turned slack-jawed, and it collapsed like a wet noodle at the Fire Senshi's feet-the stem of a full-bodied rose protruding from the back of its neck.

"Tuxedo Kamen!" Sailor Moon exclaimed, seeming delighted by the arrival.

The man in top hat and cape, and the black tuxedo that was part of his namesake, materialised from the tunnel Sailor Mars and her Princess had navigated, hurling the equivalent of a bouquet of roses at the youma, cane held defensively in his other hand. He had a slight smile for Sailor Moon and a look from behind his white mask, before more roses appeared in his grasp to be thrown.

"What are you doing here?" Sailor Moon gasped disbelievingly, temporarily forgetting the fighting around her. Mars thought the blonde should have been accustomed to his trademark unpredicted appearances by now; however those appearances *had* taken place in the past, when the Moon Princess and the Prince of Earth had shared a deeper bond. Today was a different day, a different bond. Perhaps Sailor Moon had assumed Tuxedo Kamen wouldn't ride to her rescue as before?

Sailor Mars didn't know where Tuxedo Kamen or Sailor Venus had come from, or why or how they had come to be here. But she didn't care. They were here, lending their aid, and that was knowledge aplenty.

The earth shook; the very walls and ceiling crumbling, dust and bits of concrete tumbling on everyone's heads. Sailor Mars searched for the source, head thrashing around the pump room that was now littered with the decaying carcasses of youma more than there were human, the oxygen or some other element in the air reacting violently with the dead monster flesh and beginning to destroy all trace of their being. The battle had been won, the few youma still on their feet, tentacles, or whatever oddity, ineffectually fleeing from being mopped up by the Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen. None could be allowed to live to hunt again, or even breed if was true they had the means. They had to be exterminated like the vermin they are.

Still the earth trembled, and Sailor Mars wondered if they were near a subway line-before she heard the cry. It was alien, not a roar but not really a shriek either; yet certainly foreboding and deafening. The Fire Senshi glanced over at her Princess, checking to see how she fared, before cracking her knuckles. The battle was not over quite yet by the sound of it.

A *monster*-the only term Mars could think of to sum up the thing that emerged from the far tunnel near Venus; late comer to the carnage. It was big, forced to stoop to get through the tunnel's mouth, before rising to its full size in the pump room. It was gangly and humanoid for the most part, dark green bumpy skin, and had patches of rough coarse and even darker green fur sprouting over its body, as though it were diseased and losing its coat. But the head... Thick ridges ran over its bare scalp, the centre bony protrusion the thickest and tallest, and its eyes were saucers of black that reflected the room before it; a bottomless stare. The nose was simply two small holes, and the *mouth*... it was like a flower bud. When it emitted that awful keening, the petals opened, revealing rows upon rows of needle-like teeth; scraps of meat caught between them. Mars knew the scraps used to have names.

In the monster's hands it carried a hammer of sorts; it seemed fashioned together from junk. The head was a puzzle of barbed wire, nails, broken wood and glass, brick, rope. The shaft was pipe reinforced with more barbed wire and timber. The whole thing looked gigantic and heavy, and wicked and fierce; a tool of violence indeed.

"Watch out, Minako!" Artemis called from his secure perch. Lucky him.

"VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!"

The Senshi of Love and Beauty sent her whip to wrap around the monster's long left arm. The links tightened as the blonde pulled on the other end of her weapon and green lumpy flesh sizzled, giving off steam.

The monster screamed its unearthly howl, and with surprisingly brawn for its slim form, viciously flung its trapped arm forwards. Venus was yanked with it, pulled off her feet, her grip on her chain slipping. As her hands left the linked hearts, they vanished into sparkles.

Meanwhile Venus tumbled, rolling across the ground before the creature, her Sailor fuku gathering muck and the girl inside it skinning her knees and elbows before she came to a stop.

"Minako!" Artemis yelled again.

The blonde rolled once more, this time of her own volition, as the monster's hammer descended, pulverising the concrete where the girl had lied a split second earlier. The hammer head stuck a moment, then was pulled free of the crater for another swing at the Senshi of Beauty.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

Sailor Moon threw her tiara at the abomination, catching it in the shoulder and spilling syrupy purple-shaded blood down its chest. Tuxedo Kamen joined her efforts, roses hitting their mark, thorny stems embedding in the thick mossy hide and drawing more of the strange quick-clotting blood.

The monster staggered a step backwards, its hammer swing stalled, and it seemed to forget Sailor Venus in favour of the two humans that had caused its immediate pain. It bellowed its nightmarish call, the petals of its mouth flaring open and shuddering wildly like clothes on a washing line, ropes of drool flying. It took a step forward, then another, building up its pace into a full-on charge. Its wide feet, that Mars noticed were that way due to their webbing, sent earthquakes through the pump room whenever they smacked the ground, the pipes creaking as they wobbled in sync with the monster's furious advance. Fins shot out as paper fans on its forearms and calves and back and shoulders, the spines that held them outstretched rattling in some primal show of aggression.

"CRESCENT BEAM!"

Sailor Venus fired an energy bolt at the monster's back while Tuxedo Kamen tossed another sweet-smelling array of his, however the behemoth was wholly focused on its vengeful stampede, the wounds shrugged off. Anything under its feet was smashed flat, be it bricks, pipes, or bodies, while its hammer raised above its head scraped the ceiling and showered bright sparks over its path.

"MARS...!"

The red symbol of Mars briefly shined upon the Senshi of Fire and Passion's right palm, just before flames burst into barely controlled life, harnessed in her hand.

The monster, the youma, roared still, the fire mirrored in its dark gaze as it beared down on Sailor Mars, Sailor Moon, and Tuxedo Kamen. Bricks and mortar broke off from the ceiling, the crude and uneven hammerhead prying anything that wasn't stable loose to drop as jagged, cruel hailstones.

"Move!" Tuxedo Kamen shouted, tossing a last desperate rose before he leapt out of the way of the rampaging beast.

"...FLAME...!"

The flames contained in Sailor Mars's hand blazed in all directions then were constrained to craft the shaft of a burning longbow. The Fire Senshi pulled back her left hand, and an arrow was there nocked in the middle of the shaft; forged of a deeper, hotter, orange flame; controlled, tempered; given edges and a razor's point. She aimed that point at the monster barrelling down upon her, her arms as steady as its edges.

"Rei, run!" Sailor Moon exclaimed distantly. "Run!"

The youma hewed its hammer down, intending to pulp Mars with a single mighty blow.

"...SNIPER!"

Sailor Mars released the arrow at near point-blank range, its head punching into the head of the monster's hammer, intercepting it. Everything exploded.

Mars quickly turned her face away from the heat and debris, feeling both on her left cheek, and then sensed the ground desert her feet. The room spun and tumbled, and the Senshi of Fire fought to right it. When everything came back into focus, she was on one knee metres from where she had originally stood, her body aching as if she'd been struck by a car.

"Rei! Are you okay?"

Sailor Mars blinked a few times, and then patted out the fire in her hair and on the bow on her chest. Her Princess was there next to her, frantically slapping out another small fire on her shoulder. The fires were barely a concern. The monster still stood, though it only held the now crooked shaft of its hammer minus a head. It looked stunned, simply standing there. Sailor Venus and Tuxedo Kamen were swift to take advantage.

While the beast was distracted, being lured away from Sailor Mars and Sailor Moon, the miko took the opportunity to pause and take a few breathes. Sailor Moon helped her to her feet, still gazing at her anxiously. "Relax," Mars said, cavalierly writing off the blonde's worries. "I'm fine."

"Good..." Sailor Moon breathed with relief-then she pushed Mars hard. "What were you thinking?" she cried. "This is how you get hurt!"

Sailor Mars watched as Tuxedo Kamen ducked just in time, the youma knocking off the man's top hat with a mad swing of the remains of its weapon. A precise beam from Venus sheared off one of the monster's lower mouth petals, gooey saliva streaming freely from the disfigured maw. The pair danced in close quarters with the abomination, dodging webbed fists and the hammer shaft, slowly sapping its strength with Crescent Beams and rose stems.

"We'll keep it busy," Mars said. She turned her head to look at Sailor Moon. "You give it all you've got."

Sailor Moon nodded determinedly and Mars smiled grimly.

The Fire Senshi ran towards where her friends clashed with the green monster, and dived through the mess of pipes to join them in keeping its attention from Sailor Moon. Arms and legs outstretched and pressed together, her body was a spear point, slipping through the narrowest of openings in the pipes. In her wake the youma's arm and fist with its ruined weapon followed, demolishing everything she skilfully navigated a fraction of a second earlier. She emerged on the other side of the pump room in a nimble shoulder roll, bits and pieces of rusty pipes clanging about her, rolling not quite so deftly.

Tuxedo Kamen desperately shielded his body with his cane brandished in both his hands as he realised he couldn't evade the youma's incoming arm, fresh from its pursuit of Mars. The hammer shaft collided with the Prince's cane, but the impact was too much. It launched him across the room, his flight only ceasing when he met a solid and unforgiving wall.

"FIRE SOUL!"

"CRESCENT BEAM!"

Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus wasted no time in working in tandem, the Senshi of Beauty's new dance partner filling the opening Tuxedo Kamen had left. Overhead Artemis shouted his encouragements and advice, though most of the latter was rather useless wailing to 'look out' after the fact.

"We hear you, Artemis!" Venus yelled up in annoyance at the feline. "Stop pestering us!"

"MOON...!"

At the monster's back Sailor Mars heard her Princess's voice echo, and there light began to shimmer, painting the otherwise dank and dirty underground room in a hopeful hue.

Apparently aware of the power being wielded behind it, the youma started to turn towards Sailor Moon, shrieking as if to combat the Moon Princess's voice with its own hateful tenor.

"We've got to stop it!" Mars snarled past gritted teeth, before throwing a ward. The ofuda caused the creature to howl louder, but it raged against its paralytic effects. The ward wouldn't hold.

"VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!"

Sailor Venus whipped her chain around the youma's throat just as Mars's ward disintegrated to cinders. The beast let go of the bent metal pole it carried, clawing with its rubbery webbed fingers at the heart links, choking. Mars could hear its flesh crackle and hiss and see vines of steam climb to the ceiling as the chain ate into its neck.

"...SPIRAL...!"

All of a sudden the youma seized the stretched chain with its fists, leaving itself to strangle. Despite the burning, it pulled, once again lifting Venus off her feet and into the air. Artemis squealed in panic as his charge was whirled around, and then flung into the bent and broken pipes and pumps. The Senshi of Love refused to release her grip on her chain however, taking every punishment the youma had for her. The monster used its brawn to smash her into the walls and anything else it could find, and whenever it lost momentum it would drag her mercilessly along the ground until she became airborne again. Even the ceiling wasn't off limits, Venus having several painful encounters with the old bricks.

"Let go!" Mars screamed, adding to Artemis's voice in between shooting fireballs. Too much attention was on Venus now; she had to induce the youma's anger more towards herself.

Either not hearing or simply disobeying, Sailor Venus stubbornly held on.

"...HEART...!"

"MARS FLAME SNIPER!"

Making a snap decision, the Senshi of Passion shot a fiery arrow at Venus's Love-Me Chain, the resulting detonation breaking it in two before it winked out of existence a moment later, and finally releasing the battered blonde. Venus lay on the ground afterwards, slow to get up, but get up she did.

The youma spun around to face Sailor Mars-then instantly a rose appeared where one of its black eyes should have been. It howled, clutching the grievous wound, as Tuxedo Kamen ran to support Mars at her side. They glanced at one another, then attacked anew.

"FIRE SOUL!"

Red rose petals caught alight all over on the abomination's body, and it fell to its knees under the unrelenting barrage. Soon energy beams pitched in, scoring gouges on the charred and bleeding green hide. Nevertheless the monster tried to stand, tried to fight, one hand going for its dropped weapon while the other clung to a pipe for purchase.

"...ATTACK!"

A giant pink heart thundered into the youma from the rear; its origin Sailor Moon and her Spiral Heart Moon Rod; silencing the monster's screeches and ending its fight. It arched its back as the unyielding heart smashed through it-or rather, it smashed through the heart-contorting in agony, and then fell apart into a hundred pieces of drifting ash.

Sailor Mars permitted her muscles to relax as the flakes wafted over her, her fists unclenching. As the ash figure of the youma crumbled before her eyes, Sailor Moon appeared on the other side of it, her thankful expression matching the Senshi of Passion's own. Now it was over.

"We did it!" Sailor Moon squealed, hopping over to bounce happily in front of a bemused Mars. She stopped suddenly to look at Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Venus. "Is everybody okay?"

"It was worse than it looked," Venus shrugged with a smile, her beautiful face smeared with dirt and a few scratches. She looked up at Artemis still peeking out from the grate opening, flashing the longsuffering cat her cocky grin. Artemis looked so exhausted you'd have thought he had done all the fighting.

"Nothing we haven't been through before," Tuxedo Kamen agreed, rotating his apparently injured shoulder experimentally. He picked up his top hat from the ground, dusted it off, and replaced it on his head.

"Are *you* okay?" Sailor Mars asked her Princess, staring into her bright blue eyes.

Sailor Moon bobbed her head. "It's a good end, right?"

The Fire Senshi looked around her. The youma bodies had vanished, rotted away, like a poison finally run its course. The bodies of the people stolen had not. That stain would always remain. "It's an end."

She found Sailor Venus looking at her, and met her eyes. For a moment an understanding was exchanged between them. Too long had Mars taken to find the truth; too often had she questioned whether there had been any truth to find. While she had doubted, not taking the missing seriously, people had been dying in this very room in an appalling way. At least it was done. They'd saved no one here and now-such had been the slim chance of discovering survivors of the youma hunger-but future lives had been spared from the fires. You took what you could get sometimes.

"You guys just happened to be passing through, huh," Sailor Mars remarked, more a statement than an inquiry. The miko knew the pair was probably here for the exact same reason she was here, Sailor Moon in tow. Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Venus had seen the signs on the streets up above also and delved into the void of the unknown, looking for answers. Mars wondered if either of them had expected an answer as gruesome as this, deep in the guts of the earth.

"I was... in the neighbourhood," Tuxedo Kamen said enigmatically. He had a knack for that.

"Artemis had a craving for sewer rat. A few bad directions later and... here we are." Venus grinned as Artemis hopped down from the ceiling, appearing cross.

Sailor Mars smiled slightly and touched Sailor Moon's cheek, gently cleaning away some dust with the back of her gloved hand. Thus the world was safe again. Peace and happily ever after once more.

* * *

While the others discussed how to get out of the sewers and back topside, Sailor Venus picked through the leftovers of the monsters' takeout. She didn't anticipate unearthing much except for nauseating sights that would haunt her for a long time, but of course, she had to make the attempt. She hadn't come all this way just to leave the task unfinished at the final hurdle.

The blonde's bruised body groaned as she squatted over the remains of the men and women utilised as mere snack food. The corpses themselves she tried not to look at too closely; it was their shredded clothes; their discarded handbags; their blood-encrusted jewellery still hanging on their bones that she sought. Anything to identify these souls, to put them back together with faces, names, *something* to show they had lived and been somebody. There was one face; one name; in particular the Senshi of Love looked for however.

The police would have to be notified. Sailor Moon and the other Senshi forgot about the aftermath sometimes. These people needed a proper burial instead of lying on the cold and forgotten floor in a derelict sewer tunnel, their families and friends needed closure, and the mystery and fear gripping the Tokyo public needed to be put to rest. The authorities would stamp their own spin on what had happened naturally-they always did. But as long as the world kept turning and the right thing was done, they could say whatever they liked as far as Sailor Venus was concerned.

Venus's hand carefully shifting tattered strips of shirt and raking through the odd grimy handbag and wallet froze as she spotted something twinkled at her underneath the dirt, bones, and carrion. The flames still burning in the room lit up the object, and the blonde's heart sank from the second of the very first glint. Tenderly, as one did with the remains of the deceased, she picked up the glasses. The lenses were cracked and chipped, but she remembered them. She'd never seen them in real life before now; just in a picture on somebody's desk.

With her other hand the Senshi of Love searched more vigorously through the skeletons and what had been their personal effects, needing more confirmation. It wasn't really necessary; in her heart she knew; but she had to cling to hope. Venus came upon a wallet, the only money coins, and no cards but an expired driver's licence. It was Eiji Katsuyori's wallet, Mr. Kats' brother.

Artemis pawed over to Sailor Venus, poking his furry nose into what her detective work had wrought. He saw immediately.

"I'm sorry, Minako," he consoled. He had known it would turn out like this, yet he still said the words. Artemis was a good friend.

"Yeah... me too," Venus murmured. She put the wallet and glasses back down where she'd found them. She had nothing to tell Mr. Kats. How could she explain what had happened, how she had discovered his brother's fate? And the blonde wouldn't taunt the man with this proof. What would dumping Eiji's glasses and wallet anonymously or otherwise on Mr. Kats' desk at Starlight Talent accomplish? Heartache, probably. Excessive heartache. Oh, he would learn that his brother had passed on. But not like this. Not from her. From the police, yes; another homeless man dead by his own circumstances; hunger, exposure-whatever. Not the truth.

But until then, Sailor Venus would let Mr. Kats cling to hope. The Senshi of Love and Beauty understood well that hope, even false hope, was better than none at all.

* * *

To be continued...

Author's ramblings:

Fight scenes make for a looooooooooong chapter. Hope it was okay!


	8. Daughters

Past Lives - By Kirika

* * *

The seventh chapter.

- Kirika

* * *

Chapter 7 - Daughters

Avishul flowed through the darkness; lightly, silently. Many would liken it to how a fish swims through an ocean-they would learn the difference with blades and blood. Avishul was a living, breathing branch of the dark. She was everywhere a shadow was thrown and nowhere. To everyone else in this pit she wasn't here. Never seen, never heard-for so long now that no other youma remembered her. No other youma but those Avishul wanted to remember. It was a parallel to death; the same as being on the other side, a spectre looking in. Indeed, what other death could be as complete as to be forgotten? This pit, this dank and decrepit Chamista called a camp; it was Avishul's and her order's true home, not these other youma squatters. The youma may have lurked in the shadows, knew that they could be the fear behind them that haunted lesser beings' imaginations, but they did not fully understand. They did not fully embrace it. There was fear... and then there was *terror*.

Avishul tiptoed along rusted, sagging pipes, darted across broken, irregular bits of brickwork of former human splendour reduced to rumble. The walls, the ceiling, the ground; wherever the swiftest, quietest route was, Avishul unerringly visualised it. Where there was nothing left to climb; a smooth wall, a bare ceiling; she found a way-barbs on her thick skin lodging into masonry, carving handholds and footholds tailored to her. Others of Avishul's order relied too much on the gift, on shadow diving, that they neglected these basics. Once blessed they forgot what they had learned to earn it, diminishing themselves. Avishul didn't need the gift to be one with the dark. But that she had its blessing regardless raised her above her peers. None could use shadow diving as she could.

The assassin flowed past gorging youma before crude fires tearing into the night's rations as those rations screamed and whimpered. Avishul had already eaten; her meal snatched with her own two hands, slain to be silent with her own blades. She took pleasure in the pained cries of a worthy adversary, not her food. Perhaps the humans she captured considered her to be merciful before their butchering, if their minds managed to fathom what was happening before the youma's knives bit.

Moisture shook loose from above, together with hunks of cement, as the underground pit rumbled, jolting everything for as long as the thunder lasted. Avishul flowed still, evading drips and stone alike, her footing never in question despite the tremors. Even skirting this close to the campfires, the flames' light did not lick her in the slightest. She simply knew where to move, how to move, her sinewy body seeming to possess independent thought. However it was the third eye on Avishul's forehead, peeking through the dyed-black cloth wrappings of her specialised cult, which saw the way. The eye was larger than her two others below, deep red and crisscrossed with pulsating veins, circled with thick lashes. Whenever opened it always seemed to be staring-*glaring*-intense in its scrutiny. There was nothing it missed. Places, people, secrets, lies, flesh and arteries; it knew where to look, where Avishul should strike.

This night it focused on Shuthiru winding through the camp. The mage was none-the-wiser to her voyeur, to her stalker, too intent on keeping to herself that she was unaware of her shadow. None, maybe not even the mad ilk of the demon Lord Khairephon, would dare torment her, not with her sharing Chamista's ear and being of the same youma clan and species. Yet Shuthiru hunched and cringed, watching everywhere but where it mattered. But how does one see a shadow in the dark?

To the centre of the camp Shuthiru walked, where the garden grew. It had matured into a colossal phenomenon, taking up a good part of the pit that youma were more and more forced to reside in the fringes of the subterranean chamber, lest they rest in the garden itself. Bad magic. Avishul could sense it, could feel it. The garden was not of her dimension, not of this one either she suspected. Chamista's pet had brought its traces with him through the portal they had discovered; a mistake Avishul feared. What she had felt then she felt now but a thousand times over. Some places were sealed for good reason. Places not even the darkness touched.

Chamista could be found here-where she could always be found. The garden had enthralled the would-be commander. But why not. It *was* enthralling. The crystals were a beauty Avishul had not laid eyes on before. Their black-purple, polished shadow... Truly it had to be another living entity of the dark. Bad magic, yet kin to Avishul and her assassins. And without a doubt just as dangerous.

Nevertheless, Avishul ventured close as Shuthiru did, though favoured the ground over perching atop the dark crystals. She dared not touch them. Even in the profound dark the crystals reflected her image, an unnerving mockery of her abilities.

Chamista had no such sense. She was there, in the garden as predicted, petting a monolithic crystal that erupted from the ground at an oblique angle, looming over her head. Her tail waved back and forth in hypnotic rhythm as she stroked and presumably studied, as if mimicking its owner's mind. Mages and their magic. No weapon compared to the blade. Strong, reliable. Did as it was told.

Avishul watched her 'leader'. If Chamista believed she led Avishul and her brothers and sisters she was a bigger fool than first decided. *Avishul* ran the Silent Blades in this dimension. It had been the demon Lord Makareus that had invoked her order, and he was dead. The contract was void. Avishul and her assassins owed Chamista none of their respect, none of their loyalty, none of their skill; throwing their lot in with the mage was simply a matter of course. The way home was with Chamista... if such a feat was truly within her power... *and* if this curious but ultimately irrelevant crystalline diversion of hers didn't see her forever strand every youma here on this too-bright planet.

Shuthiru shuffled up to her mistress like the subjugated weakling she was, seeming hesitant to engage the other mage in discussion. Assassination was all about patience, however. Avishul did not weary before the otherwise irritating spectacle, sticking to the dark.

"Our numbers aren't what they should be," Shuthiru eventually spoke to Chamista's back.

"Hmm?" the other mage murmured absently, smiling slightly at her mirrored self in the smooth murky monolith.

"They have... fallen. We... found another camp, a short distance from this one," Shuthiru explained, warily eyeing the crystal tower Chamista showed such affection for. Some smarts in this little mage. "I believe a certain number among us were keeping rations for themselves."

"Stealing?" Chamista snarled, spinning around with sudden fury. It shocked Shuthiru, frightening the other mage enough to emit a gasp and step back. "How...? How *dare* they! *Every*one gets enough! They have taken from the garden! How will the flowers bloom? How? Bring these traitors to me! They will repay their theft on their *knees* before me!" Her tail thrashed like a snatched serpent, though her hand remained on the crystal.

"As I... as I said, they are gone. Vanished into the tunnels."

"Deserted? Then they are *right* to fear! Find them! Use any means! They will know my wrath when it rains-!"

"They are dead," Avishul said, a disembodied voice from nowhere.

"Who...?" Chamista snapped, looking with an ineffectual gaze around the gem spires before realisation calmed the wild orbs. "Avishul."

The assassin offered no explanation. She owed Chamista none. Either the mage believed her or she didn't. If she was truly wise, she would. Being a knife in the dark often meant being a spy, and the Silent Blades served in that capacity just as expertly. Avishul had been informed of the greedy youmas' side activities many nights ago by her comrades and had been keeping the plucky if sloppy gang in her shadow ever since. In a camp of this size it paid to know everything that was going on, especially while deep in hostile lands. Too greedy, the youma had grown. Too greedy by far.

"The Sailor Senshi."

The human. He too loitered in the crystal maze, whenever he was actually present in the underground. Avishul kept a record of his comings and goings and activities also. The human named Jadeite was still an enigma, a seeming willing pet to Chamista. But he disappeared as he pleased, apparently under the guise of performing his youma mistress's wishes; her thirst for more power, the purported 'Ginzuishou'. Jadeite's method of teleportation rivalled that of the Silent Blades; thus far none of the assassins, even Avishul, had been able to track his outside movements-there was nothing to track but empty air. He would always come back, however... until the time he didn't. Avishul suspected that for as long as Jadeite desired to be here in the company of youma and darkness he wouldn't pose a problem. Afterwards... Avishul did not underestimate him. She had been taught firsthand what humans were capable of.

"The Sailor Senshi have struck," Jadeite continued, lounging on an array of muddled crystal growths jutting every which way. He sat there, chin resting on a fist and legs crossed, as if it were his throne and the gemstone garden his realm. King in all but name. Avishul's third eye wondered who really held the leash, Chamista or Jadeite.

The Sailor Senshi. Avishul's spies had reported them too. They and their male cohort had clashed with the entrepreneurial youma offshoot, emerging victorious while not sustaining a single casualty themselves. A small quantity of youma escaped as some typically did in any large conflict-mostly the clever cowards before the fighting became too thick-yet it was still a huge disparity in losses. It was not unexpected. The Silent Blades, including a grandmaster assassin, had engaged the Sailor Senshi before, the final culmination fought in a lofty human structure of steel and glass seized by their demon client. Now only Avishul and a small contingent were left to dance in the dark. Theirs were a mix of talent and skills, not all the greatest killers of their cult but *survivors*. Clever cowards they were not. Avishul and the other fortunates had endured where dozens had succumbed to death and rot.

The Sailor Senshi were worthy adversaries. Killing even one would be an accomplishment to flaunt and remember.

"Again they pester!" Chamista snarled, her tail slapping viciously against the ground, kicking up dust and the crackle of stones. "What excuses have you this time, Jadeite? What grand token to make up for the fangs and claws that should be at my disposal this very second?" She overlooked that they were fangs and claws of betrayers. Maybe the mage had meant the remark in a different manner-the crystal monolith glowed ethereally behind Chamista, as if seething in unison at the loss of what should have belonged to it and its hunger. "*You* said you would deal with them! *You* said they would have 'other concerns'! It is only through sheer chance they have not stumbled upon this camp!"

Jadeite held his tongue for several long moments, Chamista fuming as the silence prolonged, gradually baring more and more of her teeth. Then, at the point it seemed the youma would tolerate no more, he spoke. "No excuses. No tokens." The human talked into his clenched fist supporting his head, eyes boring into Chamista above the tight knuckles. "You failed to control your underlings. You brought the attention on yourself."

"You forget your-!" Chamista began in a low hiss.

"It doesn't matter," Jadeite continued quickly over the youma. "The Sailor Senshi are still in the dark. Still believing in their charmed lives. If anything, this 'triumph' of theirs makes it all the more perfect." He smiled behind his fist; a sinister thing, more sneer than grin. "No tokens, my Mistress," the blonde said, skirting very near to mocking. "Just my vow to you and to myself. Just the old memories..." Jadeite outstretched his other hand, and above it, floating over the open palm, a smaller version of one of the murky crystals he sat upon slowly revolved. A solitary prism, narrowed to points on either end, possessing several faces.

He stared at it. Avishul, Chamista, and Shuthiru stared at it. Somehow it was impossible not to be captivated.

"They think they know what's coming," Jadeite whispered, for once solemn rather than his usual arrogance or feigned deference. "They think they know what their fates will be. They have forgotten me. They have forgotten everything." The crystal descended into his hand and he closed his fingers around it. "I will make them *remember*. I will make *her* remember..."

Chamista sniffed contemptuously and returned to her worship of the monolith, apparently disinterested in Jadeite's mutterings but satisfied with what he had said all the same-or maybe she had reached her limit of distraction, lured back to her tactile analysis of the garden.

Shuthiru took the opportunity to creep away whilst her mistress's gaze was no longer on her, but Avishul elected to sink back into the shadows and observe a while. Observe Jadeite. Like the Sailor Senshi, she did not underestimate him.

* * *

Rei slid open the front shoji door at the Hikawa Jinja's main building to the gentle chirping of birds and distant crooning of Tokyo traffic; a serenity cocooned by the dense trees surrounding her home. She took a step outside into the quiet Monday morning, onto the wooden veranda-then immediately winced, the grimace for the morning sun's glare overhead. The 'hero's' hangover. The miko was pleased the missing persons mystery had been solved and the youma behind it eradicated, but her body and school grades would be glad the late nights were done with. It would probably take a while and some endurance in Rei's case for Usagi to get out of party mode and part with their clubbing night life however; the raven-haired girl predicted her blonde Princess would want to hang onto the glitz and the glam, the energy and the atmosphere. But eventually everything would go back to normal. Normal girls with normal lives... until the next crisis.

It hadn't been too tricky to escape the deep sewers following the youma battle; Minako and Mamoru had known their way about the tunnels, such that Rei had mused over how long the pair had been investigating independently. Once topside the Guardian Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen returned to how they had began the evening; parting company and walking their own roads, fading into the night towards their respective homes. Usagi had crashed at the Hikawa Jinja beside Rei, parental consequences set aside until rest and the morning.

The miko had been forced to wake up prematurely after only snatching two or three hours of sleep to kick Usagi out of bed and ensure she went home to her uniform and bag to prepare for school-though not before breakfast, which Rei's early-bird Grandpa happily had ready and warm in the kitchen for the groggy girls. Thank goodness for dawn prayers and Jinja duties. The hot meal had helped, doing all it could to revive the teenagers, but it was no substitute for honest slumber, with Rei and Usagi both still feeling the weight of fatigue piggybacking on their shoulders. Usagi had plodded home half-awake and half-dreaming, prey for inattentive motorists Rei had worried. Even now the Fire Senshi wondered if her Princess was snoring in a bus shelter or on a park bench somewhere. Or if the odango atama had made it to her own bedroom and decided she was too 'sick' for school today, a comatose lump on her bed while her mother or Luna ineffectually nagged.

The thought brought a wry smile to Rei's face and she wiped at her watery eyes with the edge of a finger. A normal life was alright with her.

Rei heard her grandfather striking flint behind her, the sparks falling upon her meant to ward evil spirits and keep her safe while journeying from home. Rei had believed her injuries-minor scratches and bruises really compared to what she had been through in the past-had been mostly hidden by her school uniform and makeup. Maybe she hadn't been diligent enough in front of the mirror. The miko hoped the gesture wasn't his idea of a message; that he was anxious about whether she was 'fighting' again. How her Grandpa and Yuuichirou explained away her wounds during particular trying times in Tokyo and beyond boiled down to Rei being labelled a 'yankee'. Oh, they sugar coated it, suggesting she was 'defending' people; hapless souls that were victims of bag snatchers or flashers or some nonsense; but Rei was aware they pretty much thought she turned into some High School hooligan every so often, for whatever reason the two could rationalise the 'acting out' with-Rei's temper, the stuffiness of attending a private academy, residual anger at her father, built up stress-whatever reason. At least neither her Grandpa nor Yuuichirou tried to intervene.

"Go safely," Rei's Grandpa intoned.

"I'm going," Rei answered semi-formally, resuming her walk across the veranda and down the few stairs into the Jinja's courtyard all the while under her Grandpa's watch. Phobos and Deimos swooped by, and with a final flutter of wings took roost in the main building's eaves above the girl's head as she passed, watching over her as well in their own beady-eyed manner. The Fire Senshi resisted the desire to sigh, breaking out into a yawn instead.

Rei traversed the courtyard, meeting Yuuichirou near the middle as he brushed the paving stones clear with a straw broom. He wore the traditional white gi and indigo hakama as he did whenever he was at the Jinja-which was almost every hour of every day. The Hikawa Jinja was his home as much as it was Rei's, and would remain so as long as the miko did. Yuuichirou Kumada was in love with her. 'Love at first sight' he had proclaimed, years ago now. How he could see anything through his shaggy bangs was astonishing, but an earnest honesty was one of Yuuichirou's admirable traits. It hurt Rei to look at him sometimes, familiar with the pain he must feel whenever she was near, or in his thoughts, or in his dreams... Love could save or it could damn.

"Make sure you do it properly for once," Rei ordered as she walked by, the smirk at the side of her mouth showing that she was teasing, "I don't want to have to do it over when I get back."

"Aww, Rei!" Yuuichirou whined, clutching the broomstick to his chest, the kicked puppy.

Rei grinned. She remembered the days an unkempt Yuuichirou used to sleep in until midday and was hopeless at chores. He was still kind of unkempt and hopeless, however he had come a long way since then. It might be selfish of her, but Rei was glad he was still with her. He was family.

Rei walked through the vermilion torii positioned at the height of the Hikawa Jinja's stone stairway, the gateway between the Jinja's holy ground and the outside world, and began the long descent to street level. She saw them before she finished, waiting for her at the sidewalk. Government warriors, their dark chariots parked at the side of the road. Men in black. Rei sighed this time.

"Ms. Hino, can I offer you a ride to school this morning?" one spoke as soon as Rei's feet hit the pavement. His words were all eloquence, silky political sleaze at its finest. She saw her father in every man standing there.

"No," Rei flatly responded, turning and walking down the street towards the bus stop.

"Ms. Hino, please. At the request of your-"

Rei stopped as the stooge forced the invitation, her head rolling back and her shoulders slumping in exasperation briefly before she turned back around. "Do you really want to do this *now*?" she said, every word dripping rancour and the intimation that she was not in the mood. It was too early in the morning and she'd had too little sleep to be accosted in the street like this, right in front of her home. What, did they-or rather, the girl's father-have a choice comment to make on her nocturnal activities in Roppongi yesterday? Or maybe this was just a long time coming. Whatever. Rei was not exhausted enough to accept a ride from the devil's chauffeurs. "Whatever it is he wants, my answer is *no*."

"It concerns one 'Usagi Tsukino'."

Rei frowned. They had her attention. She wondered if they were conscious of the button they had pushed, of the Achilles heel they had stabbed. Of *course* they were. They were government lapdogs with leashes extending all the way back to her father.

One of the men in the trademark black business suits and sunglasses nearest the middle sedan opened the rear passenger door. "Ms. Hino," he bid, bowing as he held the handle.

"Make it quick," Rei muttered, mainly for the sake of saying *something* rebellious. She would not go quietly. But she *did* go, walking over and ducking into the black leather backseat of the luxury car.

The man at the door closed it after her as the other rear passenger door opened, and the government representative that had addressed her before climbed inside. He leaned forward, towards the driver and other agent in the front seat. "T*A Private Girls' School."

There was a crackle of static, the driver mumbling the destination into a microphone in his cuff, and the three car motorcade set off. The door locks snapped shut in unison. It sounded like a sprung trap.

Rei sat with her knees together and her school satchel on her lap, uncomfortable despite the expensive plush leather seating. She felt closer to her father in this car, with these men present. She didn't like being reminded of him, of her family before. "So talk." It came out harsh. The men were mere employees, doing their jobs, yet it was hard to think like that and excuse them, to not consider them extensions of 'Mr.' Takashi Hino. This was the dance they performed, Rei and these men, at the behest of her father. They probably thought her the biggest brat ever, unaware of the true Hino family history; fooled by whatever childhood falsehoods her father preferred to relate in her absence. It was a regrettable situation. But both sides would play their roles to a tee.

"Mr. Hino-," the lackey cleared his throat, "-your father-wished me to convey that he misses you and regrets not seeing his only child on a more regular basis. He expressed disappointment that you have turned down his many invitations to socialise. Please understand that Mr. Hino is a busy and important man, whose time is highly prized by his peers and supporters, and that these... squandered... opportunities were not arranged without a great deal of effort." The man reached inside his suit jacket, producing a crisp white envelope with Rei's name written on it in a hand she bitterly recognised. He opened it, an equally crisp white folded card within. "Once again, Mr. Hino requests your presence and the chance to show off his beautiful daughter at dinner this evening. He would delight to-"

Rei tuned out. He was good, this envoy of her father's. Very polite, with pauses and inflections in just the right places and on just the right words to communicate the true mood of 'Mr. Hino'. Same old dance.

"You mentioned a name," the Senshi of Fire interrupted, deliberately looking away outside the passenger window at the scenery whizzing by-a model of apathy. She could play games too.

The envoy snorted ever so slightly and slipped the card and envelope back inside his jacket. He appreciated it was futile. "Mr. Hino has... concerns... about your..." He trailed off a moment, pretending to be in a struggle to find the right words. But he knew the words alright. These guys were always good with words. "...'friends'. Specifically one 'friend'. A Ms. 'Usagi Tsukino'."

Rei casually rested her elbow on the edge of the car door, where the bottom of the window met the frame. Still gazing elsewhere. "I don't see what my choice of friends *or* my private life has to do with him."

"You carry the Hino name. You are Mr. Hino's treasured daughter and only child. Naturally he has parental concern for you."

"And what is his 'parental concern' about Usagi?" Rei said, managing to keep to the dance, to the game, and not let her temper do the talking.

The envoy paused a second to take a slow breath in and then out. Still with the decorum, exercising at least the show of delicacy a 'touchy' subject deserved. "Mr. Hino has... worries... that Ms. Usagi Tsukino is not the... 'right sort' for you to associate with. It is no reflection on the girl herself, but he feels you would be better suited to seek your friendships elsewhere."

"I've been friends with Usagi for a long time," Rei said, measuring her words. It was difficult. "Why does he feel she's not the 'right sort' for me now?" The Fire Senshi turned her head to look the government bully square in the eye. Was he ever going to say it outright?

There was a change in the man's gaze, understanding rippling between Rei and him. The dance continued, but the steps quickened. "Mr. Hino can overlook your midnight 'clubbing' binges, your deteriorating grades, your constant disrespect towards him and his office, but *not* this. All he wants is what is best for you, Ms. Hino."

Not so polite anymore. "How would he know?"

"Excuse me?"

"How would he know what's 'best' for me? Has he met her? Has he met Usagi?" Rei ground her teeth, shaking her head. "This isn't about me. It's not even about her. It's *always* about *him*. My 'father's' only concern is his own reputation. His position. His name. How this could damage *him*. He can't even come and face me himself!"

"As I said, Mr. Hino is a considerably busy man. If you would just accept his inv-"

"*No*! I said *no*!" Rei exclaimed, heat in her amethyst glare. She was losing it. No, she *had* lost it. *Damn* him and his *concern*! "What I do, who I spend time with, how I live my *life*, is none of his business! That ended the *instant* he stopped caring for... for us!" The Senshi of Passion ground her teeth harder, forcing back the memories, focusing on the present instead-and the anger. "Who my friends-no, you know what, 'Ms. Usagi Tsukino' is *not* just my friend. Usagi is my *girlfriend*! He can't even say it!" None of the hate was for the man next to her. The man Rei raged at wasn't even in the car. But to serve as her father's proxy was to be burned the same.

"Mr. Hino, if you would just calm-" the government aide started to sweat, no longer Mr. Cool.

Rei had had enough of politics. "Does he think I'd just break up with her at his command? Usagi's more of a family than he has *ever* been! *No*, I will *not* 'seek my friendships elsewhere'! You can tell him *that*!"

"Ms. Hino..." the envoy spoke hurriedly in the temporary lull as Rei sucked in rapid breaths of air, "if he decides, he can make life very difficult for you. Please. It's a High School romance. Transient infatuation brought on by a momentary phase. It's not worth..."

He ceased talking when he saw the girl's disgusted expression, realising his mistake. Threats never worked on Rei. And demeaning her relationship with her Princess? "Don't you ever come to me with this again," the Senshi of Passion hissed, low and cold, threatening right back. She thumped the bottom of her fist against the passenger window. "Let me out. *Now*!"

The driver and government tool in the front beside him exchanged uncertain looks, before the former glanced in the rear view mirror for confirmation from the shaken spokesman in the back. Wisely the spokesman nodded.

The sedan pulled over to the curb, the rest of the motorcade imitating. The aide in the front passenger seat opened his door to act as Rei's doorman, but the raven-haired girl wasn't about to wait around. She opened her door herself, slamming it behind her before anyone could say another word.

Straight away Rei stormed down the street in the direction of her school, not looking back. There was still a distance to go to arrive at T*A Private Girls' School, however the Senshi of Fire welcomed it. Fury still howled within her, pumping her veins with heat and adrenaline. She'd make short work of the deficit.

The motorcade drove past Rei. Her grandfather's warding hadn't performed well. She hadn't either. He could still get to her. Even after all Rei had been through, with all of the power she had at her beck and call; the creatures she'd fought and the catastrophes she'd helped avert; her father could *still* affect her in ways nothing else in this universe could; still inflict a brand of hurt and spawn of emotion of no other like.

Tears clustered to emerge, whether wrought of pain and sadness or rage and frustration, it didn't matter. Rei willed them to dry up with everything she was. She would not be that girl again; the girl before she had known and loved Usagi and reawakened as a Sailor Senshi. That girl had grown up. *This* girl didn't care. *This* girl didn't have another tear for her father. Not. One. More.

Rei inwardly cursed as she wiped her damp eyes.

* * *

Minako smiled a bit too cheerfully at the stone-faced police officers outside the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters, the men in blue standing stiffly at attention at their posts immediately outside the main entrance, legs spaced apart and white-gloved hands braced atop propped shinai, at the ready. The blonde guessed it wasn't the smartest move in the world to waltz on over into the authorities' clutches when she was outright skipping school, but she wasn't a stranger to the dominating wedge-shaped building or the dedicated people bustling around inside it. Plus she had left her Juuban High uniform at home in favour of much less conspicuous and much more stylish threads. Minako wasn't stupid. Wasn't there some saying that being close to your enemy was the best place to be? The police would be clueless with her sauntering *right* under their noses! Sometimes being gung-ho without a thought spared for failure was what kept you the safest.

Class hadn't been an option today. After last night's work out Minako had gone straight home with Artemis to drench herself in the shower and then plant herself face first on her bed. Alarms were ignored or taken out with well-aimed pillows or plush toys, and consequences were forgotten in the muddle exhaustion had blanketed her senses with. The Senshi of Beauty's mother would have normally stepped in to pull her into uniform and push her out the front door by then, however the girl's new 'glamorous' profession granted latitude any teenager would have wept to have. How had Minako functioned for so many years without the freedom to drop school whenever she wanted and take a personal day? Modelling was worth the resentful looks, tart attitudes, various indignities and rampant egotism just for that. Well... Nah, it was worth it. Still beat being in school.

The blonde's mother *had* probably assumed her daughter had had a modelling commitment late this morning though... but that wasn't Minako's fault. Minako hadn't lied. It was just... truth that hadn't been said. Like when you kept it to yourself when someone's hair looked as if rat's had been gnawing on it, or that outfit did make them look twenty kilos overweight. Okay, so she had run out of the house before she could be mired in parental conversation-still wasn't lying! Artemis would have disapproved, but he had been snoring soundly when the Guardian Senshi had closed her bedroom door and left him. Any other day Minako would have made up her slumber shortfall face down on her desk in Juuban High, however she really did have stuff to do. It just wasn't her new job that needed her but her old one. Her real one.

Minako had maintained enough wits about her in the small hours the subsequent night to dial a police tip line anonymously before she got home and imply through some fancy subterfuge and wordplay that the old sewer tunnels were where the authorities should be looking to for answers to their missing persons case. There hadn't been a peep about it however. No special newsbreak interrupting her favourite programme on television, no front page headline plastered on any of the local newspapers she'd seen. Maybe it was too early. Had the tip loggers taken Minako seriously? She hadn't been *that* vague. The Senshi of Love and Beauty had even offered directions to the youma's sick picnic ground to the best of her tired recollection. You could lead a horse to water but you couldn't always drown it, the blonde supposed. Minako would have to drown this horse herself.

The officers on duty didn't break their stoic demeanour, not even for the Senshi of Beauty's bright smile. It might have been a symbolic guard posting in some sense, but the men were still disciplined police officers, serving the role with their entire hearts. Minako nodded her approval as she past by, the Metro Police building's automatic glass doors gliding smoothly open to admit her into the landmark municipal fortress. She'd soon find out what's what; if the police were aware of her tip and whether they intended to act on it with the haste it was due. If the answer was no to any of those inquiries, Minako would see to it that was remedied. She still had some pull in the department from her stretch wearing the well-known mask of Sailor V-mainly a friend in a very high place.

Inside, the Tokyo MPD Headquarters was similar to any run-of-the-mill corporate lobby; lounge areas, large frontal reception desk, elevator banks-except it had a lot more men and women dressed in law enforcement getups; pistol holsters and stab vests marking the officers heading out onto the streets. There were heaps of plain clothes inspectors and the like coming and going as well; the classic suit, tie, and sometimes overcoat all the rage. Minako assumed the latter were members of the force anyway; there were civilian staff on hand in the building, but generally citizens in need went to local precincts or police boxes for aid instead of straight to HQ. It was more control and coordination here; a multitude of different bureaus from the terrorist and espionage thwarting Public Security Bureau to the less stirring Traffic Bureau working independently or in collaboration to ensure Tokyo-and in the PSB's case, all of Japan-didn't erupt into anarchy... if the Sailor Senshi hadn't already beaten them to it. There was even a training academy around here somewhere. Security was tight as you'd expect for those that dealt with it; keycards were brandished and slapped against scanners to get anywhere, opening mysterious doors to mysterious hallways and activating privileged elevators to rise to one of the building's eighteen storeys. Minako had lost her card in some cluttered drawer or dusty nook in her bedroom-at least she *thought* it was someplace in her bedroom; it had been a long while since Sailor V had paid the MPD a visit-but it was a small hiccup a simple namedrop would cure.

Minako walked over to the reception desk, weaving around the sporadic officer or inspector that crossed her path. They didn't pay her any mind, no doubt too absorbed in more important public safety affairs to bother with a solitary truant high school aged girl wandering in. All according to plan. Who needed a Disguise Pen?

Three policewomen worked the desk, clad in full police garb sans the cute hats. The Senshi of Beauty smiled pleasantly at the nearest officer. "Hello, I'd like to see the Superintendent-General please."

The policewoman raised an eyebrow. She glanced for a second at one of her colleagues, and then purposefully cleared her throat. "Unfortunately the Superintendent-General is very busy. Do you have an appointment?" the officer said in a somewhat sickly-sweet patronising tone of voice.

Minako shook her head, however her smile endured. "No, but we go way back. I'm Minako Aino."

The policewoman smiled back at the blonde, though it was more pitying than pleasant. "I'm sorry Minako. She's very busy. Maybe if you told us your problem we could help." The woman looked to her fellow officers next to her who chimed in with agreements and pitying smiles of their own on cue.

Well, it *was* a big building. And it had been a few years. Not everybody could remember the blonde teenage girl that had dropped in now and then to confer with the big cheese. "I don't have a problem, really... I just need to see Natsuna."

"If you have a message for the Superintendent-General, we can try to pass it along."

"No... I just... We're like old friends." The girl laughed weakly.

"Minako, I'm afrai-Hold on, how old are you? It's the middle of the afternoon! Why aren't you in school?"

Okay, it wasn't going totally according to plan. Minako guessed there was such a thing as being *too* incognito. She had to think fast. Roll with it. Go with the flow. "Uhh..." the Inner Senshi temporised. "I graduated early. I'm a genius."

The trio of policewomen squinted suspiciously at the girl in unison. Minako's smile deformed halfway towards a wince. The Senshi of Beauty *knew* she should have said she had an aging disease instead. Could you be arrested for blowing off school? How far was it at a sprint back to the entrance? Did those police officers guarding the front know how to use those shinai?

"You again. This doesn't seem like the place you'd find someone who claims to be *retired*."

A hopeful Minako looked in the direction of the brusque remark, actually relieved to hear it. Sure enough, Toshio was there by the reception desk, hands stuffed in his pants pockets, displeasure souring his features-not exactly an uncanny portrait of a dashing saviour, but he'd do. "Toshio!" the Senshi of Love squealed, nearly jumping up and down. She waved an eager pointed finger at her old friend. "He knows me! He knows me!"

The policewomen regarded the gloomy white-haired man and the bubbly teenager with equal dubiousness. "Special Officer Wakagi? Do you..." The woman looked back at Minako and wrinkled her nose while her fellow officers did much the same, as if they questioned that the blonde could be linked to anybody of merit, especially within these walls. The Senshi of Beauty did her best not to pout. After everything she'd done for these people! Granted, the Tokyo MPD hadn't really wanted Sailor V's help, but still! "...know this girl?"

Toshio stayed silent, seeming to consider the query a while.

"Um, Toshio? Toshio...?" Minako said nervously, staring at him with mounting disbelief and panic.

"I've never seen her before. Seems like a troublemaker though. I know the type. Have her thrown out."

"*What*?" came Minako's high-pitched squeak.

The policewomen signalled nearby officers on HQ security detail, and they promptly jogged over, flanking the flabbergasted Senshi of Love and Beauty on both sides. "Miss, if you could..." one of the fully equipped policemen ushered, indicating the exit with a sweep of his hand. It was not a request.

"No way! You can't be serious!" Minako vocally exclaimed at the traitorous Toshio, gaping.

"Miss, I need you to lower your voice," the would-be police escorts ordered.

Minako swallowed, appearing to calm as she primly sized up the policemen surrounding her; first those on the right, then those on her left. Then her gaze arrived back on Toshio. "I'll never go quietly~!" the blonde abruptly wailed.

An officer interlaced his arm with Minako's right and another did likewise with the girl's left, effectively restraining her. Minako thrashed like a fish out of water; however she was still hauled away on the backs of her heels towards the building's front doors, a spectacle for everyone in the lobby. "I better go down for *life*, Toshio! You better have me locked up forever! I'll get you back for this! I'll get you~!" the expletives flew. "Just wait until Big Sis hears about this~!"

"Wait, wait," Toshio called, holding up his hand. "I think I remember this girl now. My apologies for the confusion."

The escorting officers loosed the wrestling Inner Senshi from their iron bonds, though they gave her wary looks-as if *she* was a common criminal! That Toshio-!

Minako hurriedly ran over to Toshio in case any of the police officers changed their minds about her and decided to toss her out onto the street or outright arrest her just to be safe. She scowled at her 'old friend' intensely, cheeks flushed. She thought she saw Toshio smile.

"I'll look after her," Toshio said to the reception desk officers.

Toshio led Minako to the elevators, walking into the nearest vacant open one with the teenager a pace behind. The Special Officer brushed his identification keycard against the flat scanner below the array of floor buttons, authorising their operation, and pressed the button for the Administration Bureau located on the highest floor. As soon as the doors shut Minako crossly turned to him.

"That wasn't funny," the Senshi grumbled. "I'm still going to tell Sis. She'll have you writing parking tickets. Or patrolling the restrooms. Or maybe she'll send you to Siberia again!"

"I thought you were through with meddling," Toshio said, ignoring everything else-though his mouth did twitch at the mention of Siberia.

"I *am* finished with... that," Minako answered uncomfortably. It wasn't really lying. Just truth that hadn't been said. Sailor V was no more, but... "With *helping*."

"Leave police work to the police," the officer persisted, unconvinced.

"I would if they were any good at it..." Minako muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! I'm just here to see Sis, that's all. After bumping into you the other week and everything, I got to thinking about the old days... about her..." It was a half-truth, but at least there *was* truth there. Minako was looking forward to catching up with Natsuna. Just seeing the woman again would be something special.

Toshio was quiet then, although the silence wasn't strained. This was *Toshio* next to Minako; an old, *old* friend, no matter what she said or thought. They'd always be friends. There would always be a connection. With Natsuna as well. They were all veterans of the same war.

"Um, how's the official investigation going?" Minako carefully asked as the elevator slowed. "The missing persons case?"

"Why aren't you in school?" Toshio countered, pushing on ahead as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open.

So much for pumping him for information.

Toshio stopped a few steps from the elevator banks. "There's been some remodelling... do you remember the way?"

Minako let her crystal blue eyes soak in the rows and rows of desks with computers and documents and of course police officers, every one of them engrossed in their work. The computers were more modern than she remembered, bulky beige boxes upgraded to streamlined black towers; the desks more numerous; the faces belonging to strangers. But piles of paperwork were a constant, and the blue uniforms were essentially the same as in her thirteen year old girl memory. The spirit here could never change; buried deep in every officer's gaze in front of the Guardian Senshi was a quiet but unmistakable sense of duty.

"Yes. I remember."

Toshio dipped his head, understanding, and returned to the elevator, leaving Minako to tour through nostalgia alone.

The Senshi of Love and Beauty walked along the lines of desks, where the Senshi of Justice had walked. Her feet seemed to know independent of her mind, taking her without conscious thought where she needed to go-beyond the supervisor's lone desk at the head of the others, to the hallways behind the workroom, to the office at their end.

Minako stood outside the office's door. She hesitated. The nameplate was the same. The title was the same. It was like walking in a memory. The blonde shook her head, exhaling. She was making herself nervous with her romanticising. The girl could feel her stomach in jumbles and a quake in her chest. This wasn't the old days. This was the here and now, and it was best to treat it as such. Be gung-ho without a thought spared.

Minako knocked on the door briefly and straight away invited herself in. Slowly a smile blossomed on her pretty face. It *was* like the old days. The office was practically a match for the memory. The carpet was a different colour-grey instead of teal-and the walls had been ministered to with a new lick of pearl-white paint over the former tan. The desk was the same old varnished teak, in the same spot except with a new top-of-the-line computer, and behind it a map of the city hanged, pulled down from an overhead roller. The map looked glossy and new-though had coloured pins and labels spread all over it-no doubt as up-to-date as it possibly could be; however it was in the place Minako remembered a map should be. Most critical of all was the woman sitting at the desk. Superintendent-General Natsuna Sakurada was there. The same Natsuna Sakurada. The redhead didn't even have to open her mouth-in her gut; at first sight; Minako recognised nothing was different about her Sis. Some people never changed.

"They changed the carpet," Minako noted.

Natsuna looked up from her keyboard-tapping and document-signing. For a moment she simply did that-looked. "Minako," she uttered slowly and precisely, as though her tongue had become unused to the name. Then the Superintendent-General smiled.

Minako smiled too.

"Minako!"

Natsuna bounced up from her chair and across the office to meet the just as eager blonde, enveloping Minako in a hug. "Wow, look at you!" The redhead stepped back, releasing her old friend. "You're all grown up!"

"Not really," Minako chuckled somewhat guiltily. No way was she a grown up. "I'm still in High School."

"To me you're all grown up," the woman laughed, motioning the Senshi of Love over to the office's sitting area. Minako plopped herself on the couch, Natsuna beside her a few inches away. "How long has it *been*?"

"Long, Sis," Minako understated. "Long."

Natsuna Sakurada *hadn't* changed. It was almost like Minako had hardly been gone a day, their natural accord to one another untouched, both of them rediscovering it immediately. There was no awkwardness, no disconnection brought on by time. Like Toshio before, Minako felt belonging in Natsuna's presence.

Natsuna was the same woman-slender, taller than Minako but not by that much, and young in appearance though she probably had to be around Setsuna's physical age. Long, straight, orangey-red hair down her back; sparkling amber eyes full of life and love; light makeup and jewellery and painted, manicured nails; and wearing a flashy pink dress more appropriate for a night out on the town rather than desk-shackled crime-fighting, she was as much a beauty and fashionista as Minako. Most would be amazed to learn of her job-the Superintendent-General of the Tokyo Police Department. Natsuna oversaw *everything*; every department, every case, right down to which officers patrolled where in which squad car every morning, afternoon, and night. She was *it*; the leader, the head-honcho, the brains behind the lot-everything Minako had once aspired to be. Looking at Natsuna again, beholding once more the older echo of herself, maybe the Senshi of Love and Beauty still felt those aspirations.

"What happened? What have you been up to? Did you see Toshio? He was here not ten minutes ago."

"Yeah, I saw him," Minako said, sniffing sourly as she remembered. "You know, we bumped into each other last week."

Natsuna's brow furrowed. "Oh. You did? Strange he didn't mention it..."

"He's not exactly Sherlock Holmes," Minako remarked, fondly recalling the old days of hapless Toshio ineffectually chasing her masked alter ego. "He probably forgot."

"Just wait until I see him..." the redhead promised, frown deepening, a trace of the respected and authoritative woman she had to be underneath the exuberance and glam casting her normally cute features in a very different light.

Minako smirked to herself. It hadn't been intentional on her part to drop the Special Officer in it, but she couldn't say she was sorry for Toshio.

"*Well*?" Natsuna pressed, instantly back to her usual buoyant self. "Where have you been? You didn't return my calls, you just... disappeared..."

The Senshi of Love and Beauty shrugged. "My mission was finished. The Dark Agency had been destroyed. Sailor V wasn't needed any more. That part of my life was over. It was time to move on."

"But there were still *crimes* in this city. Still criminals out there," Natsuna passionately reminded. Sailor V had been more than just a Sailor Senshi; she had been a true force of justice-a righter of wrongs and punisher of the wicked, youma and otherwise. Finding and protecting the Moon Princess had taken precedent however, and once Sailor V had succeeded there had been no more Sailor V, only Sailor Venus. "Still people that could have used your help."

Minako smiled at the woman. "I knew they'd be in good hands with you," she said; an evasion, yet no less sincere.

"It was those other Sailors, wasn't it," Natsuna deduced. "They became at large in Tokyo at precisely the time when you retired."

Minako nodded, going along with the semi-truth. "It was my cue to step down and let the new generation take the stage." She grinned faintly. "They do alright."

"I'm not sure about *them*," the Superintendent-General huffed. "They keep to themselves too much. They haven't even attempted to contact me! And your costume was *so* much cooler! They don't have your flare; your... your... pizzazz!" She shook her head. "*And* they cause widespread city damage! *No* regard for the cost of repair and cleanup! Did you know Tokyo Tower has only *now* reopened to visitors after those Sailor Senshi *wrecked* it earlier this year? *The* capitol-*country*!-landmark! The Public Safety Commission really chewed me out for that one." Natsuna shook her head again, sobering slightly. "I lost some good officers in that tower."

Minako was rolling her eyes as her friend ranted. It wasn't as if Sailor V hadn't levelled a building or two in her prime. And Minako and the other Sailor Senshi weren't to blame for Tokyo Tower's dings-a legion of invading interdimensional youma were kind of like a rowdy block party that you needed to call the cops on, except with more claws and death and less booze. Minako tried to remember what tale for the media Natsuna had spun by way of explanation for the landmark's condition-keeping the world in its orderly, defined box for the public's sanity was one of her duties. Something about gang violence or teenage delinquents, was it? Maybe the latter wasn't that far from the truth, the blonde thought with a lopsided grin.

"Do you... have a favourite?" the blonde asked-provoked.

"*Please*," the woman scoffed, readjusting her bottom on the couch and crossing her arms irritably. "I would trade *any* of those Sailors-*all* of them!-for one Sailor V." Natsuna eyed Minako suspiciously. "Why? Do you know them?"

"We've... brushed shoulders now and then," Minako admitted cryptically. "...Not even the orange Sailor Senshi?"

Natsuna scowled in distaste some more under the teenager's mischievous grinning.

Minako glanced at the Superintendent-General's desk laden with paperwork, and at the adorned map of Tokyo. She'd gab about the good old days with Natsuna until daybreak tomorrow if she let herself. As much as the girl adored reconnecting with her erstwhile supporter, that wasn't her motivation for being here in the woman's office. Sailor V was gone, but Sailor Venus still lived on.

"What are you working on?" Minako prodded, getting up to wander over to the desk and snoop.

Quickly Natsuna scurried past the Senshi of Love and Beauty and positioned herself in the way. "Nothing! Boring stuff. Signing department budget authorisations, departmental reviews..." She shuffled some folders over a pile of magazines. Minako thought she recognised some of the titles-style rags, mostly. Sis was definitely still the fashionista-and the procrastinator.

"Oh yeah? What's all this here then?" Minako pushed, moseying on to the map, peering at it with exaggerated closeness; hands on her hips and bent forwards, her nose practically brushing the pins and labels.

At the silence behind her, Minako looked back over her shoulder. Natsuna was gazing at her peculiarly.

"Why are you here now?" the woman questioned. Damn, Minako had taken it too far! Sis *was* a detective at heart after all, despite the desk. "Are you...?" Natsuna's eyes brightened, seeming to draw her own happy conclusion. "Is Sailor V...?"

"No," Minako said hurriedly, before the woman's hopes could rise any further. "I just... heard about those people going missing. I was curious. Any leads?"

"I see," the redhead said. She couldn't hide her disappointment.

Minako looked aside, feeling bad. Sailor Venus wasn't the Superintendent-General's friend and ally. In her role as commander-in-chief, Natsuna had been Sailor V's staunch confidant and comrade against the covert machinations of the Dark Agency, vanguard to Queen Beryl and the Dark Kingdom. Minako had been grateful for the Superintendent-General's support. But the relationship had dissolved when the Dark Agency had, and the subsequent struggle against the nefarious subversive group-and ultimate threat to the world-that had been behind Saijou Ace-the man otherwise known as the Shittenou soldier Danburite-and his agents had been something Natsuna hadn't been a part of, or even aware of. It hadn't been her battle. The fight against the Dark Agency hadn't been either. It had been a *Sailor Senshi's* duty, no one else's. Natsuna had stumbled upon Sailor V's secret identity due to the ineptitude of a blonde in her youth-it hadn't been Minako's choice. Sailor Venus would not make that mistake again, nor would she ever place that burden on her friend again, whether the woman was willing or not.

"I receive daily reports from the Criminal Investigation Bureau, but they have nothing solid," Natsuna said.

Minako pursed her lips, unsettled. Her tipoff hadn't gotten through then, or in the best case scenario, hadn't been processed yet. She could wait and hope for the best, but... no. Those people down there, forgotten and alone in the dirty sewer tunnels, deserved the best Minako could do *now*. "I heard something from a... a... a source."

"Uh-huh," Natsuna replied expressionlessly, clearly unimpressed with the blonde's artifice. That made two of them.

"Y-Yeah," Minako laboured on anyway, turning back to the map. "From... some guys I 'brush shoulders with'." She peeked one blue eye back over her shoulder. *That* seemed to have sparked some interest in the Superintendent-General. Whether it was her new generation Sailor Senshi prejudice again or actual interest remained to be seen. "Umm... Here." Minako tapped a spot on the map where she, Rei, Usagi, and Mamoru had surfaced last night from the Tokyo sewer systems. "Search underground, in the old sewer tunnels. About..." The Guardian Senshi trailed her finger downwards a distance, trying to recall her footsteps in the dark and dank caverns. Eventually she drew a circle with her finger around the exit instead. "...Let's say a four hundred metre radius from there. Deep down, at least two hundred metres or so, in the tunnels they don't use any more."

Natsuna had come to stand beside her, observing Minako's directions. "The sewers..." she repeated softly, thoughtfully. "The investigation team considered this. Apparently they were looking in the wrong locations, too close to the scenes of the abductions. And certainly not deep enough." She nodded to herself and marked the area of interest on the map with a pencil. "I'll see to it that this information finds its way to the right people." There was no skepticism, no doubting. She didn't ask what her officers would find down there. She didn't pressure Minako further on why she was so certain. Minako was a teenager, a girl in High School, and Natsuna was a grown woman in charge of the capitol's entire police force. Yet Natsuna trusted Minako utterly. The Senshi of Love and Beauty had come to the right place.

Natsuna put the pencil back down on her desk and turned to the blonde teen, looking her over a moment. "I missed you," she confessed with a melancholy smile, fingering Minako's trademark red bow that kept her flaxen locks back, poking out from behind the girl's head. The woman blinked, her fingers dropping to Minako's jaw to gently ease the Inner Senshi's head to one side, exposing her neck.

Minako kept quiet, but she was conscious of the scabbed-over scratches there. And the bruise. The youma yesterday had gotten some good shots in, but you tended to forget about injuries after you suffered them so often-something learned way back when Minako had been Sailor V. The wounds were nothing to worry about, barring the fact that they would make Mr. Kats sweat and photographers yell when next she modelled.

Natsuna didn't say anything in the face of Minako's silence, retrieving her hand. Minako could imagine her thoughts; could see them in her poignant amber gaze. That the fight had never ended years ago with the Dark Agency and Sailor V's vanishing, that the blonde hadn't ever stopped. That Minako still put her life on the line without hesitation or need for recognition. That she was still a righter of wrongs and a punisher of the wicked, just exclusively the wrongs and the wicked that ordinary humans couldn't wrap their minds around, let alone hope to contest themselves. That Minako hadn't told her.

It was all left unsaid.

"Can you stay? We should do lunch! Do a proper catch up!" Natsuna enthused.

"Don't you have work?" Minako asked, watching the woman as she moved around the office to hover over her desk, sorting papers and wiggling her computer's mouse.

"A few calls to make," Natsuna said. "One important one." She winked at the Inner Senshi, and the girl nodded her appreciation. The missing persons case might not ever be solved in the official files, but its victims and their families would get their peace.

The Superintendent-General sat in her chair and picked up her phone, her other hand pressing a couple of buttons with swift familiarity. "I know this great Korean barb-" She stopped suddenly, covering the mouthpiece of the phone as she swivelled her chair to face Minako, who loitered still by the map. "Uh, Minako?"

"Hmm?"

"Why aren't you in school?"

Luckily Natsuna had always had a soft spot for Minako's antics, and a short admonishing and a couple of sheepish expressions later, the old friends had left their respective duties behind, shedding their baggage and becoming simply two people who hadn't seen one another in a long time. They spent the afternoon reminiscing; reliving past adventures, remembering departed friends, and retelling the lives they had lived up until now that the other hadn't been included in. Minako told Natsuna about her break into the modelling industry and its every high and low, about getting into Juuban High School with the majority of her new friends, and about those new friends themselves; from Makoto's scrumptious cooking to Michiru's command of the violin. Natsuna recounted her persevering spinster status and the disastrous series of omiai that maintained the latter, the annoyances of her top-tier job and interesting former cases, and her sister Haruna's similar relationship woes, who was a teacher in Juuban Middle School.

The food and drink flowed, as did the smiles and laughs, before nostalgia brought its sobering wistfulness. Then came more food and drink, more stories, and the smiles and laughs began anew. Minako felt more comfortable than she had been in a long while, living the past again but with someone who knew it like she did-knew her. She and Natsuna talked far longer than lunch, far longer than either of them should have given their responsibilities.

But the present could wait.

* * *

Usagi walked along the quiet streets of her neighbourhood, through small alleys slotted between houses wide enough for only a solitary car to squeeze by, and even smaller lanes that allowed only one or two people to pass shoulder-to-shoulder, not counting assorted trash piles and other discarded junk that might be in the way. The girl was a master of all the shortcuts, alternative routes, and dead ends of this particular area of Juuban. It was home turf and always had been since she'd been old enough to wander. Even under moonlight in the dead of night Usagi was sure of her footing on these roads. Even while youma chased her, assailing her at every turn, she was sure. That had happened plenty of times in the past to prove that the girl was.

Fifty-one weeks out of the rest of the year however nothing lurked in the narrow lanes and lonely street corners, apart from the occasional cat, collared and otherwise. You never could tell though. Usagi wasn't about to dwell on it, at least when she could help it. If weirdness jumped out at her she would freak and scream, maybe run, but then turn right back around and deal with it. But why work herself up before she knew for sure? The blonde had tons of other stuff in her normal life to stress her out without heaping on imaginary monsters prowling behind every wall and in every shadow. And under every manhole.

Rei's suspicions had been spot on. Usagi had had her own theories too about the missing Tokyo citizens, of course. Of course youma had been the culprits. Of course they had targeted Roppongi's clubs. Good thing Usagi-and Rei-had been in a Roppongi club last night! Everything had gone to plan. Mamoru and Minako hadn't been a part of that plan, but an extra pair or two of fighting hands weren't something you nitpicked about. Or maybe... they *had* been part of the plan. Maybe Rei had arranged for backup in spite of her resistance. The creeping notion climbing through to the height of the blonde's thoughts brought the Moon Princess a sense of comfort while at the same time left her ticked off. After all the fretting Usagi had done, and after all of Rei's stubborn bluster in the face of it, her sly Senshi of Fire had been prepared the whole time. Hopefully Rei was finally learning that being unnecessarily reckless wasn't cool, especially when you almost came close to killing yourself in nearly every instance. Usagi would be glad to have one less worry regarding her hot-blooded girlfriend-though there were plenty others left that would keep the girl busy.

All too often it was simple to tell what Rei was feeling; her emotions bubbling just below the surface of a barely held facade-whenever they didn't boil over completely, all fire and heat. But those obvious flames veiled a depth behind them that no one knew. Buried things that smouldered, burning secretly deep at the raven-haired girl's core with long-felt, quiet passion-but passion to rival any of her overt thoughts and feelings, if not dwarf them utterly. Not even Usagi understood all of those depths. Just as Rei had hidden her love for the blonde flawlessly for years without the feeling ever dimming in its isolation, there were more old passions, more old fires that drove her without wane. Rei hadn't lived her life like Usagi, with the 'perfect' family and a 'perfect' upbringing. Living had been harder for the miko and had shaped her differently. It had scalded her, blistered and scarred her on the inside, where people couldn't see. Not every passion Rei held secret was as pure as selfless love. But Usagi, with patience, and love, would unveil them. And snuff them out before they scarred her Fire Senshi more.

What Usagi was certain hadn't gone to plan was the parental fallout. Most teenagers would be ecstatic right now to be going home, free from school for another day, but that Usagi hadn't a *choice* in going home was what stripped that joy from her. She had been grounded. She had been sentenced to two weeks of afterschool social exile-she wasn't even allowed to keep her phone!-and all thanks to saving the city, or at least its sewers, with the tiny niggle of doing it past her curfew. It didn't seem fair. The blonde was *supposed* to be meeting up with Rei and the rest of their friends before heading to the Hikawa Jinja to hang out, not be *missing* out! Usagi would have gone AWOL regardless of the imposed punishment or the inevitable compounded later one; however Rei had been firm this morning about working on regaining her mother and father's favour. You would think the Princess's *girlfriend* would be more sympathetic! Didn't Rei *want* to see her? Shouldn't she *approve* of Usagi sneaking out? Of course, if she was sneaking out to fight youma and save the day it was okay, but to spend a couple of hours with the person she loved *and* hadn't seen since early this morning? Oh no, *that* was unthinkable.

Usagi forlornly booted a semi-squashed juice carton down the street, kicking it again and again whenever she caught up to it, before hitting it a final time into the closest gathering of garbage for pickup. It wasn't Rei's fault. She knew she shouldn't get cross at her. Sometimes things just happened, and Usagi was aware that Rei just wanted to stay on her parents' good side so that they would like her. Usagi guessed it was kind of cute. Her mother and father already liked Rei, yet the miko still worried. Above all Rei simply didn't want Usagi needlessly getting into more trouble. Usagi got it, but it was still a bitter pill to swallow when all you had to look forward to after school was doing homework. Alone. *That* was the reward for helping save the day?

Perhaps if Usagi looked depressed enough her mother would feel sorry for her and cave. Normally the blonde's Mama was perfectly content with her daughter's relationship with her best friend together with all its quirks and demands, but this morning even she had been against the girl's unauthorised overnight 'date'-if beating up youma was comparable to dinner and a movie and a sleepover these days. Naturally Usagi's parents didn't know the truth, or the Moon Princess would have gotten more than eleven missed calls on her mobile phone and maybe a little leeway for the 'irresponsibility'. Usagi wondered occasionally-and usually on occasions like this-whether it would be easier if her parents were clued in about her alter ego and the detours it obliged her to make in her life... then she remembered who her parents were. Usagi would probably end up being grounded forever, locked inside her bedroom while youma pigged out on everybody in town.

It was that stupid maths test result from a week or two ago that had clinched the teenager's incarceration and her Mama's censure, Usagi was positive. She had tried putting off uttering her terrible score for as long as she could, but that had only made it worse when her mother had ultimately pried her failing grade out of her. And with her father unjustly saying in the background that it was because of violated curfews and seeing too much of a 'very distracting' girlfriend, a grounding was bound to follow. Rei said that sometimes you just had to smile and bear it and do what you had to do, no matter how much what you had to do sucked, but Usagi didn't think she was a person right for that sort of mentality. She just wasn't the type to throw herself on the mercy of the court, or on her own sword, or whatever; not when there was still a way she could wriggle out of it. Maybe if Usagi looked sad and mopey whenever anybody in her house looked at her, they would see how much she was suffering and how sorry she was, and let her go... *maybe*... then she could run straight to Rei's place!

Her mood much improved, Usagi happily trotted the remainder of the distance along the street to her house, and through the gate and up to the front door. Unlocking it hurriedly with her key, the energetic blonde burst in and quickly kicked off her shoes. "I'm home~!" Usagi cheerfully greeted whoever of her family was within earshot, before cringing when she recalled she was supposed to be sad and mopey. Oh well, maybe she was putting on a brave face?

"Welcome back!" the girl's mother shouted with mirrored cheer from somewhere in the kitchen, over the bubbling and whistling of dinner cooking.

"You still remember where you live," Usagi's father called from the living room afterwards, sounding like someone trying too hard to be stern. His tone-such that is was-wasn't what bothered the teenager however, rather that he had already used that stupid line when Usagi had popped in earlier today before school to change into her uniform!

"Oh, stop that Kenji," the blonde's mother chided in the nick of time before a slighted Usagi involuntarily broke her sad and mopey cover to yell at her Papa.

"Just remember you're grounded!" Usagi's father huffed.

"Ye~ess~!" Usagi drawled cheekily despite herself as she stomped up the stairs to her room. Depressed people still got angry sometimes. "Can I at *least* have my phone back?" she shouted from the top of the landing, turning around to hurl her frustration back downstairs.

"Not if you're not going to use it!" her father replied.

The Moon Princess burst into her room and shut the door behind her a bit too hard, jolting the black cat snoozing on her bed into full wakefulness. "Sorry Luna," Usagi said as she tossed her schoolbag into her desk chair and started tugging her sailor fuku over her head. "It's been a long day. And it started out as a long *night*."

Luna's furry brow knitted as she seemed to puzzle over what the blonde had just uttered.

"It wasn't like I planned it or anything. All I did was stay over at Rei's," Usagi harped on as she undid the clasp on her blue skirt. "Well... as far as Mama and Papa know." She threw the skirt onto the bed next to Luna along with her top. "It's kind of hard to send a text when monsters are trying to rip you to pieces. It doesn't really cross your mind, you know?"

"Monsters?" Luna parroted, latching onto that one part of her charge's rant. The feline perked up, whiskers twitching, suddenly appearing to take genuine interest in what the blonde was saying.

"Yeah. There was a monster mash underneath Roppongi's nightclubs," Usagi said, pulling out some casual clothes from her wardrobe to wear. She frowned, pausing in what she was doing for a second and cocking her head to a contemplative angle. "You know, it could have been *anywhere* under Tokyo after how far we walked." The girl shrugged, stepping into her shorts. "Hasn't Artemis given you a full report or whatever it is you two do?"

"He hasn't..." Luna answered, looking somewhat hurt to be out of the loop.

"Don't worry about it, Luna," Usagi reassured her friend, nuzzling the cat behind her ears before donning her t-shirt. "He's probably still sleeping it off. It was quite a fight! It doesn't matter anymore anyhow. The youma are just more grime clogging the sewer tunnels now."

"I'm glad everyone is safe..." Luna remarked, settling her chin down on her front paws again, albeit uneasily. She blinked and lifted her head once more. "Artemis was *there*?" she asked before shaking her head. "Nevermind, I suppose it's not important. But Usagi, these youma could only be part of a more serious problem. Are they a new type?"

"No, everyone was in agreement that they were leftovers from Tokyo Tower."

"Are you certain you and... 'everyone'... destroyed *all* the youma?" the black cat questioned.

"We got rid of a *lot*," Usagi half-boasted, half-marvelled, turning around briefly from her mirror where she was checking her pigtails, running her hands along the dual tresses in turn to smooth them out. "Forget about it Luna. They're history."

Usagi smiled resolutely at her reflection, ignoring Luna's restless expression in the mirror. It was time to go back downstairs and put on a good performance. It shouldn't be too hard-she wasn't exactly super-duper happy. The blonde lightly and simultaneously slapped her cheeks a couple of times each and adopted a pout. What soul could refuse this heartbroken girl in the mirror?

"See you when I see you, Luna!" Usagi farewelled, heading for the bedroom door.

"I thought you were grounded?" Luna said, her ruby eyes pursuing the teenager. She had probably overheard the argument this morning-Usagi's Mama could get pretty loud.

Usagi lingered at the door. "I am, but I..." she bobbed her head from side to side, struggling to find the words. "...We're still in negotiations," she went with, her head bobs becoming self-assured nods.

Luna sighed and looked away. "Rei..." she murmured, as if the raven-haired girl was the source of every hiccup ever encountered.

"Awww Luna, don't start," Usagi whined. It was an old argument, and the blonde did mean *old*. It was worn out, a dead horse, over and done with for everybody *except* the feline. Even Mamoru was over it! Well, maybe not in *every* way for him... but certainly in the way Luna continued to nag about.

"I'm not saying anything," Luna insisted, in a particular tone Usagi had heard many, many times over the course of her teen years from her parents that said a great deal for not saying anything.

"Luna..." Usagi sighed. After a moment she walked over to the bed and sat down beside the cat that had been her advisor. The Princess still tried to regard her as one, however it was difficult when the thing Luna advised against was the one thing the blonde could not and would not ever back down on. "Nothing bad's happened," Usagi endeavoured to parley one last time. "The world hasn't ended. The universe didn't implode. Time and space didn't throw up. Nothing bad's *going* to happen. We-Rei and I-we *made* it." Luna didn't look at the Moon Princess as the girl reached out to stroke her fur. "I miss you," Usagi said softly. "I miss how it was. I miss how you and Rei got along so well together. I know, deep down, she misses how it used to be between you too... Just as you do."

"She's... not the same person," Luna said, her voice straining just a little. "She's different."

"No. She's the same," Usagi smiled, and there were tears in her eyes, pushed into her vision by her expression. "Rei's the person she's always really been. She's as true to herself as she's ever been. If you just... *looked*... looked at her... you'd see it. You'd see *her*." Usagi's petting hand ceased, simply resting on Luna's back. "I love her, Luna," the girl said quietly, staring through her tears. It was so easy to say. "I love her. I'm happy... and it's because of Rei. The world, the universe, time and space has accepted us. Please... if not for anything else, even if you don't really believe in us, please... for *me*... for whatever fondness you have for me... please... j-just..."

"Usagi..."

Usagi turned her head to look Luna, and was surprised to feel her cheeks were wet. The blonde was more surprised by Luna's consoling paw on her leg.

"I'm sorry, Usagi," Luna said solemnly. "I haven't... been there for you... like I should have. I've failed. I've failed in my duty. If Queen Serenity was here..." She started to shake her head, but then looked up and smiled. There was understanding sparkling in her eyes. "If Queen Serenity was here, I know what she would say to me. I know what she would desire. And in her wisdom, she would be correct. Neither you or Rei are wrong. Love... real love... is never wrong. If Queen Serenity was here, she'd feel no different. In her heart she would be happy for her daughter... like I should be happy for you. And for Rei. I'm sorry, Usagi. For too long I was thinking too hard on what *might* happen and not what was before my eyes. You're happy. You're in love." Luna's body relaxed, as though it had been tense for a long time. "I know what that's like. I *know* it's *right*."

"Luna...!"

Usagi grabbed her old friend up into a fierce hug, all but squashing the cat against her body. Luna seized up, then thrashed, and then seemed to accept the long overdue affection. "Thank you, Luna! Thank you!" Usagi gushed, shaking the cat from side-to-side. "I'm going to see Rei! Are you coming?"

"Yefh, um comming!" Luna's smothered voice readily agreed much to Usagi's joy... although after releasing the feline from her tight embrace the blonde wondered if Luna had just said that so she'd let her go.

Usagi held Luna in a bundle in her arms as she raced out of her bedroom, entirely too exultant for what she'd intended to unleash on her parents. Yet the blonde didn't care. She'd muddle through and somehow everything would be alright.

Usagi bounded down the stairs, before being slowed by the strange sight of her mother standing at their bottom, waiting for her.

"Usagi! I was about to call you! Some people are here to see you!" the woman whispered teetering somewhere between excitement and anxiousness. Her gaze upon her sometimes 'undisciplined' daughter seemed to hunt for a cue as to which emotion to go with.

Feeling more anxious than excited herself, Usagi took the steps she had left slowly, buying the time to wrack her brain and maybe come up with a reason why she might be in trouble to the degree 'people' would come calling. Was it her teachers from Juuban High to lament her poor performance? No, no, her Mama would have recognised *that* sighing and head-shaking crowd right away and would be giving her an earful this instant. Who, then? Had the authorities traced her to her doorstep at last? Maybe they were after her to pay for property damage. Or it could be the media! Usagi had always flirted with the idea of fame and fortune, but not at the expense of her secret identity!

"People? Umm... they aren't from the city council or something, are they? Or guys that work in the sewers?" Usagi asked nervously. "Did you see any press passes?"

"I don't think so," the girl's mother said, keeping her voice low as she glanced into the living room. She turned her head abruptly back to Usagi as if just hearing what the flighty teenager had said, flashing her a perplexed expression before dismissing the blonde's odd ramble. "They asked for you by name, and only said that it was a matter for you and you alone."

"And you just let them in?" Usagi said. What if they were con artist burglars? Or members of a psycho cult looking to recruit? ...Or looking for their latest sacrifices? Or... what if they were *youma*?

"They looked important, well-dressed types like businessmen. Anyway, your father is with them. Maybe they're from a university! Maybe they want to discuss giving you a scholarship!" The woman looked delighted at the prospect, before suddenly seeming to remember just who her daughter was.

Usagi swallowed uneasily, clearing the stairs and walking past her Mama into the living room-and into whatever snare awaited her.

"Usagi!" The blonde's Papa welcomed her a little too eagerly as he saw the girl come into the room. He was sitting in his usual lounge chair but was bolt upright, gripping the armrests in both hands. Adjacent to him seated on the L-shaped sectional sofa were two men Usagi recognised. It wasn't their faces she knew however, but their black suits and ties. "These gentlemen work for Mr. Takashi Hino, Rei's father."

Through the living room window Usagi saw more government spooks hanging around the front gate of her house, and a little further past them a dark sedan was parked at the curb. They had found her. The blonde didn't know what that meant exactly, however the heavy stone in the pit of her stomach told her it wasn't good. Plus it was never good on TV and in the movies when the government tracked you down. It typically ended up with a lot of running down streets and helicopters with big searchlights, and not being able to use a phone ever again. The joke would be on the suits though since Usagi's had been confiscated.

"I'll... give you some privacy," Usagi's father said clumsily, quickly rising from his chair as though he couldn't wait to get out of there. He stopped in front of the girl for a moment though, hunching over to reach her ear. "You didn't tell me Rei's father was a member of the Diet! I thought she was a miko!" he hissed out of the corner of his mouth.

"She *is* a miko!" Usagi hissed back.

"She must think we're so common!" the teenager's Papa bemoaned, before turning back around to smile obsequiously at the men in black. "I'll, eh, be just outside..." He slinked off, a salaryman before government executives. Usagi couldn't blame him-the men were intimidating up close. Any figures of authority were when you were forced to face them head on.

Luna hopped out of her grasp as Usagi walked around the coffee table near the middle of the room and gingerly sat on the angled sofa, on the side the men weren't. Usagi had deliberately avoided looking the agents in the eye until now to not challenge her already rocky nerve, but unless she wanted to be rude or come over as a weirdo there was no delaying it any further. The blonde still took a long moment though, lifting her gaze to Rei's father's employees... whatever they really were. Spooks, men in black, agents... they could all be secretaries, for everything Usagi knew about them-Rei was tight-lipped on the topic of her father. It could be that Usagi was overreacting. Maybe this was nothing. It probably had to do with Rei... She wasn't hurt, was she? It wasn't one of *those* types of visits, was it?

"Is... Is Rei okay?" Usagi hesitantly inquired, suddenly worried. Her voice sounded small and very girl-like to her ears before these impassive adults.

"Ms. Hino is in relatively good health," the man nearest Usagi spoke. He took off his sunglasses, slipping them inside his suit. The other man did not and simply sat without either a twitch of movement or emotion-it was rather unsettling. Usagi tried not to look at him but discovered that she couldn't control herself from shooting him glances. "We apologise if we caused you concern. We are here on her father's behalf."

"Oh," Usagi replied, her dry throat swallowing. Right. Of course it had to do with Rei's father. "Does he want me to talk to her for him? I... don't know if I feel comfortable with that... I mean, I'd love to help, but Rei doesn't-"

"No, Ms. Tsukino," the man without the sunglasses said. He scooted forwards, leant towards the teenager and clasped his hands together, elbows on his knees. Usagi sat a bit more upright at the slightly increased intimacy of their conversation. "But I can tell you understand the friction between parent and child."

Usagi tentatively nodded.

"See?" the government employee remarked to his aloof colleague. "I knew we had an intelligent, reasonable young woman before us." He smiled at Usagi. The blonde saw flashes of politicians and door-to-door salesmen in her mind.

The man's smile fell and he sighed. "Ms. Hino has had a... tumultuous childhood. A difficult life, as I'm sure you're aware. In her adolescence years and into adulthood, she deserves-*needs*-the support, the direction, the *love* that only a parent-her sadly sole living parent-can give." He paused, looking square at Usagi. "Yes?"

The blonde bobbed her head gingerly again, not feeling very clued in about what was going on, but certain of the fact that she would like Rei to be happy and safe, and to have as much of a loving family as she could just as Usagi had. The raven-haired girl seemed fine living with her Grandpa at the Hikawa Jinja, but having her father back in the picture, their past reconciled, could only improve on the miko's home life.

"A kind young woman as well," the man remarked again, the smile-somewhat lopsided Usagi noticed-back. "So you see it too then. Ms. Hino has been wayward for too long. Year after year her errant behaviour grows worse; behaviour that does not reflect the noble young woman she is at heart. Mr. Hino is troubled by her sliding school marks and mounting absences-"

"That's because...!" Usagi began to defend her girlfriend, before quickly shutting up. She couldn't very well speak of Rei's other life; that girl that slung fire and fists; of cities saved and monsters slain-and of homework neglected and schooldays missed.

"-And the caustic attitude that is being reinforced by the negative influences around her," the government official continued without rest. "Yes?" he prompted again.

The girl opened her mouth to respond, to stand up for her love... but could only nod once more. What could Usagi say? That it wasn't Rei's fault? That Rei was *more* than what Takashi Hino saw, that Rei was *good* and *noble*, everything a father would weep to have in a daughter and then some? Usagi could feel the words inside her, stirring her, yet in her head they sounded hollow. Out loud, to these men, they would sound even emptier. So Usagi nodded, twisted up inside, feeling that she was failing Rei.

"Excellent," the man approved.

The other government official suddenly moved, his hand going inside his suit. He brought out a crisp piece of paper and passed it to the first man.

"Then please accept this token," the first man said, placing the piece of paper on the coffee table. With two fingertips he slid it over and in front of Usagi.

It was a cheque.

"Mr. Hino will be delighted that you understood. He is... appreciative... for the 'friendship' you have provided for his daughter up until now, and wishes you good fortune on your future endeavours elsewhere, wherever your life takes you."

It was a *cheque*. It was made out to her, signed and sealed by Takashi Hino. It had a lot of zeros. More than Usagi had ever had herself, maybe more than even her whole family had ever had, but far, *far* less than deserved for what it was trying to buy. Usagi couldn't count them. She couldn't see them. She couldn't hear anything else the government spook was saying. Usagi understood clearly at last. This visit had been about *her* after all-about getting rid of her. Just for that the men had come and no other reason. Just for that.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I thought you'd all like some refreshments." The girl's mother's voice and the rattle of cups of coffee and plates of cookies on a serving tray cut through the fog, however she could do nothing but stare at the cheque. The Princess didn't know what she was feeling. She had an urge to giggle at the incredulity of it. And to throw up. "Usagi? What's wrong? Kenji-"

"You have to leave." It was Usagi's father's voice, unlike she had heard it before.

"Our business is finished," the government agent said, putting his dark glasses back on. He stood up together with his colleague and moved towards the front door, the blonde's father at their heels. She heard the front door open and then slam.

"Wow, Usagi's rich!" Shingo exclaimed, popping over his sister's shoulder to ogle the cheque-the bribe, the buyout, the payoff-whatever you wanted to call it, no term better than the last.

"Shingo," their mother scolded sharply, quieting the boy.

Usagi's Papa came back into the room and sat down next to the blonde. He put his arm around her shoulders.

"They tried to buy me," the teenager whispered, as if not completely believing it had happened. "Mr. Hino gave me money to stay away from Rei."

Her father just hugged her.

Usagi hadn't empathised with Rei regarding her father-she just hadn't been able to grasp it. The blonde had recognised the touchy subject, been aware of her Fire Senshi's virtual abandonment, but they had been mere facts to the Princess, facets of her best friend and love, not a bitter reality. Not the reality Rei had known. Usagi hadn't been able to pin down why the miko had loathed her own flesh and blood so much. Usagi hadn't been sure anybody, let alone a parent-your only parent-deserved that kind of hate. Nobody was wicked at heart. No human being, at least. Inside the worst of them, *somewhere*, there was good waiting to shine through. The Moon Princess had always believed that. She had been brought up that way in this life and the last to see the world as a place of wonders and compassion-it, and the people in it, worth saving. Suddenly the world was raw and real, as though the paint was flaking off of the picturesque, fantastical canvas to reveal the ugly, grey truth. It had lurked there always, masked beneath the surface of the blonde's own optimism and spirit, but Usagi had never glimpsed it until now. And it hadn't been the monsters behind the walls and in the shadows-it had been a man, a father, who had forced her to look.

Takashi Hino had watched Usagi and Rei for days or maybe weeks, had known that the girls were together, had to have known they were in love and happy-that his own daughter was happy despite everything she had suffered. Then he had dismissed his daughter's happiness. He had dismissed Usagi as unacceptable; crossed her out like an item on his timetable. Takashi Hino had tossed money at the teenager like it was scraps of food and she the starving, desperate and degenerate dog, eager to gobble up his favours. In one act he had marginalised everything that Usagi and Rei had fought and agonised to build. Usagi had never been discriminated against before; not like this. Were Ami and Makoto-Rei's other 'negative influences'-getting similar visits? Usagi had held this fear inside ever since sharing that first breathtaking kiss with Rei-to be judged, to be thought of as sordid and damaged because of her choices and who brought her happiness. Usagi had assumed it would eventually come from a random stranger instead of from someone who had the same genes as the person who made her feel so wonderful every day. But maybe that was who Takashi Hino was-a stranger. A stranger that thought himself a parent. To call him Rei's father was a sham-he may have given the raven-haired teen life, but he was *not* her father. No father would do this. No father that knew and loved his daughter would rule her existence to fit his own agenda. Not the fathers Usagi knew.

"...Can I go see Rei?"

"Of course you can," the blonde's Papa said gently.

Usagi walked out of the house to her Mama's outraged parting comment that she would certify that their family and their relatives, however distant, would never ever vote for Takashi Hino after this. She walked further, along the paving stone path to the small gate and onto the empty street. The sedan was gone, taking with them Takashi Hino's henchmen. She walked further still, down her street, through the narrow alleyways and shortcuts, across her neighbourhood. And then further, until the sun was melting into the horizon. It was several miles to the Hikawa Jinja, yet it was as if Usagi had blinked one second and then the Jinja's steps had materialised in front of her.

Usagi climbed the stairs. Luna padded and leapt through the forest's undergrowth closeby, but the black cat left her charge to her space. This half of the Moon Princess's life wasn't to do with world-threatening youma and an ancient destiny; however Luna was here not as guide, but as the loyal and supportive friend the blonde had forever had in her. Usagi sensed Luna near, taking from her presence what she could. But there was only one person that could truly heal what she was feeling right now.

Usagi reached the top as she had done a hundred times before in the past and through the torii her blue eyes saw what they had needed to see. A vision framed by the sacred red wood, standing in the Jinja's courtyard-the one Usagi had given her heart to.

In spite of everything before, Usagi was smiling.

The blonde walked over to Rei where the other girl was sweeping the grounds. Rei was in full miko garb; baggy white gi neatly tucked into the equally roomy red hakama. Rei took the role seriously-it was a family tradition.

Rei looked up, her broom no longer so diligent. "Usagi... I thought I felt..." The miko then smirked faintly and went back to brushing. "I thought we had decided you would stay home today," she remarked, though there wasn't a lot of edge to it; more mirth. "It's late. Everybody's left. Everyone being Makoto. I think Minako is milking the modelling just to get out of homework. She wasn't even taking calls." She raised her head from her chore to share another smirk with Usagi; however behind it the Princess could detect the hint of uncertainty. Minako hadn't been in class with Usagi today either. Usagi hoped her fellow blonde was okay and hadn't been hurt more seriously than she'd put on last night-a worry Rei no doubt felt too.

"It was fun, just Makoto and I," the raven-haired girl continued, resuming her cleaning. "We can talk about our girlfriends, share stories. Makoto doesn't have much to complain about with Ami though..."

Rei glanced up after a moment of letting the comment sink in. She looked again then frowned, brush stopping outright. "Usagi, what's wrong? What's happened?"

Without a word, knowing none that felt right, Usagi took the cheque from her short's pocket. She presented it to Rei.

Rei, nonplussed and more than a little concerned, took the cheque and looked at it. It was her eyes that changed first as they read the signature. Then her face. The girl's hand closed into a fist, crushing the slip of paper. Her other hand squeezed her broom's handle, the bamboo creaking. Usagi thought for a second her Senshi of Fire was going to break it over her knee or hurl it across the courtyard. Somehow everything Rei must have felt was contained.

"I have to change."

Abruptly Rei turned, storming towards the Hikawa Jinja's main building. As she stepped onto the veranda she banged the broom against the wall beside building's entrance, leaving it propped there, and flung open the sliding door with her other hand in the same motion; a second bang.

Slippers forsaken at the threshold, down the hall she marched and towards her bedroom, Usagi scuttling behind, that shoji screen door thrown out of her path as well with as much ceremony and care. Rei pulled out the bottom of her gi once inside, tearing it off and letting it drop on the floor. The hakama was followed, the ties undone until it slipped over hips and down her legs. She stepped out of it and moved to her dresser, ripping off her tabi socks before she got there.

"What...?" Usagi swallowed, the dry throat back. "What are you going to do?"

"I can only apologise, Usagi," Rei said. Very evenly, very controlled-very at odds with her angry movements. The raven-haired teenager yanked open a drawer and starting shimmying into a pair of black jeans. "It's not about you." Rei buttoned the jeans and grabbed what seemed to be the first top that came to hand. "It's never about anyone else..." she whispered, her gemstone eyes ablaze. She was still for a moment, just staring with those eyes. "I need to see him," she then said, quickly pulling on the dark fitted t-shirt.

"I'll go with you," Usagi said, stepping closer to hover around Rei.

"No," Rei bluntly answered, walking past the blonde and back to her bedroom's entrance. "If my Grandpa asks, tell him I'll be back soon."

With that she was gone. Usagi watched her Senshi of Fire and Passion go, stomach knotting, once again feeling that she was failing her love... and no longer caring how Takashi Hino had treated her, if only it would bring Rei back.

* * *

Ami rode the descending escalator, a Juuban High uniform squashed amid a mass of other sailor fukus and gakuran, shirts, ties and blazers representing a dozen or so other academies. Time had pushed well into the evening, but the sight of High School uniforms deep in the city of Tokyo wasn't an oddity. It had been a bright afternoon when Ami had attended cram school, and that it was night when she and the rest of her extracurricular classmates re-emerged into society was nearly a daily sight for them, and testament to their dedication. And sacrifice.

The Senshi of Wisdom still carried her school satchel like a salaryman carried a suitcase; like every other teenager beside her clutched theirs. The bags were heavier than most belonging to their peers at home or out having fun, stretching the pockets and testing the seams, full of additional textbooks and homework, stuffed with preparation for quizzes and exams that only mattered in a single high-rise afterschool classroom and nowhere else. Lifelines or burdens, it depended on who was asked. Some balked at anything less; balked at those peers at home or having fun, at those that didn't take their future and academics as seriously. Others, a smaller few, were conscious of the hours flittered away in yet another classroom in front of yet another board and teacher; hours that could have been spent with friends and family. They were painfully aware that this was a time of their life they would never relive, that youth was fleeting and needed to be savoured, and that perhaps the future should not overshadow the present. Which group was the wiser, Ami often found herself musing. Which was the richer?

The students surrounding Ami jostled for position on the escalator; impatient, intolerant, superior in thought to their neighbour. Ami knew their faces, but she didn't know their names and they didn't know hers. The brown-haired boy on the step below her, the lanky freckled-faced girl pressed against her shoulder; they and everyone else pouring out of the workshop were here for themselves. No one was here to talk. No one was here to make friends. Now that the cram session was over everyone was eager to leave, to devote their night to further worthwhile pursuits-home and immediate study. The Senshi of Wisdom recognised the looks on their faces. She had seen them before in the mirror... long ago.

The blue-haired girl smiled, the escalator guiding her into the high-rise building's bustling foyer. Education was the building's business, embedded in Tokyo like any other corporation's headquarters. Instead of offices there were classrooms, instead of salespersons there were lecturers. Once it had been a welcome retreat for Ami, the continuing equations and questions hypnotic stability, a place for thought yet not her thoughts. No talk had been a boon, no friends had been a relief-study at home a natural progression. Ami smiled because she was not like those around her. She smiled because she was different; that she was part of the smaller few. Ami smiled because the escalator was bringing her into the arms of Makoto.

Makoto hugged her; kissed her. Ami's classmates mostly ignored the exchange-or tried to appear to ignore it. They had seen it before every other evening after cram school these past months, yet still they glanced, they observed. Ami had noticed their astonishment the first time Makoto had been there to meet her-their shock that she, perhaps the best of them, was no longer one of them. Their reactions had been controlled of course, the change and spectacle beneath them, outside of their scholarly concerns. But they were still human, still teenagers somewhere in their hearts. No one waited for them. Life did not wait and they knew it. Ami and Makoto were a glimpse of something that wasn't calculable by an equation, wasn't something that could be earned through constant disciplined study. They knew it. Ami was proud to remind them, to tempt them with life, to show them that the present could be savoured just a little bit.

Makoto proposed dinner in the city and before long Ami was seated across from the tall brunette in a quaint booth in a quaint family restaurant, somewhere off the street in between the department stores and office skyscrapers. There was a dinner for the blue-haired girl at home, and a mother who waited to share it with her. But Ami chose not to go back home. Ami chose Makoto. She chose the street, the night. She chose the home away from home, which was a quaint booth in a quaint restaurant in the company of the person that loved her and her alone.

The girls talked; they smiled and laughed; they held hands and shared looks for only each other across the table. They talked of what was expected to come from teenage girls' lips; the minutia of school and their young lives, of their friend Minako's absence from Ami's class and yet another lament that Makoto was not part of that class; and they talked of the aberrant, the bizarre to a casual listener; of monsters underneath the city and their comrades-in-arms that had fought and bested them. Usagi had babbled her version of last night's adventures piecemeal at lunch, in lulls between classes, and sometimes in excited whispers *during* class-and with no Senshi of Beauty to contradict her Ami and Makoto had been subjected to a lengthy, yet somehow still sketchy, saga featuring a legion of youma, an underground earthquake that had toppled half of Tokyo above, and the brave four plus a cat that had beaten all the odds to snatch victory from certain, world-ending, defeat. Perhaps the inclusion of equally blonde Minako's retelling wouldn't have changed much in the story, however. Rei had ironed out the bubbly hyperbole with cold fact a little bit when she'd had Makoto's ear and prompting after school at the Hikawa Jinja, but from what the brunette had passed on to Ami it seemed the Senshi of Fire had been sketchy in her own way about the confrontation, so far as to appear reluctant with her blasé recount.

Epic struggle or not, Ami was simply relieved that her friends were alright. Yet the Senshi of Wisdom suspected it couldn't have been *that* dire if she and Makoto hadn't been summoned to throw themselves into the fracas. Although... handling a legion of youma with an earthquake bringing down buildings on their heads might have been an alternative to give pause when balanced against yesterday's dinner with Ami's girlfriend, Ami's mother, and Ami's mother's... whatever that man was.

The girls spoke of safe topics. Even the talk of the battle and youma was safe. It was Ami's doing; claws and carnage were preferable to home and family right now.

"I think the tart's all gone."

"Hmm?" Ami looked up from her dessert plate and the small fork in her hand scraping at the pattern and wisps of cream. The conversation had faded as last night had intruded on her thoughts. She wished she had another dessert, that tonight's dinner wasn't winding down.

Makoto was looking at her sympathetically. The other girl knew what plagued her thoughts. "It wasn't that bad."

For a second Ami wondered if Makoto had been present at the same 'family' dinner she had been at yesterday. But thinking back, recalling every excruciating moment spent in the company of her mother and... 'Takeru', perhaps it hadn't been *that* bad. The food had been appetising, and the banter civil if a tad stiff. Moreover Makoto had been a guest, a more-than-friendly face, despite the awkward discussion the brunette had the potential of provoking. And Takeru had been... nice.

Yet... there had always been an undercurrent of... *something*. In the beginning Ami had attributed it to the tension of the whole dynamic between everyone at the dining table; daughter and her secret girlfriend, mother and her not-so-secret... friend. There was a tinge of something else however, in the apartment and in the air; beneath every look from the stranger at the table, under every smile from the man who was suddenly there in their lives. Makoto hadn't seemed to pick up on it, and neither had the Senshi of Water's mother, but...

Takeru Sakai's tone had been genial, his handsome countenance free with hospitable grins. The young man had talked, complimented Ami... but those grins... had they reached his eyes? Were his compliments a touch snide; were his comments about Makoto and her association with Ami intentional innuendo or purely coincidence? Who was this person? What did Ami or her mother know about him?

Ami closed her eyes, carefully putting the dessert fork down. She was being irrational. She was allowing her uneasiness about the situation to control her. The Senshi of Wisdom debated whether she was hunting for faults and conspiracies where there were none; where there was only a man who happened to care for a woman. Logically Ami knew this, yet she couldn't rid herself of the feeling. After all, the woman was her mother.

The short-haired teenager picked up the fork, tasting the creamy residue that still clung to its prongs. "What did you think of him?"

"Takeru?" Makoto shrugged a shoulder ambivalently while taking a contemplative sip of her juice through its straw. "He's a guy," she remarked, as if Takeru was indistinguishable from any other adult. "He's alright looking. Your mother seems to like him." The Senshi of Courage's right eyebrow lifted slightly, her green gaze on Ami across the table. "No alarm bells, if that's what you're asking me. Why? Did you get a vibe?"

Ami wearily exhaled, putting the fork down again. "No. Not really." She sighed again and sat back into her seat, turning her head aside. "I'm not sure. I *know* I'm being unfair, but..." The Senshi of Water and Wisdom met her girlfriend's eyes. "I don't like him."

Surprisingly, Makoto smiled. "In your shoes, I don't think anybody would." She took a moment to study Ami, her smile indulgent and faintly sad. "Let me ask-is there anyone you *would* be happy to see your mother with?"

"It's not that," Ami started to argue, quickly piecing together where her girlfriend was going with this. Underneath the taller girl's knowing look however, Ami felt her back to the wall. "My father," she softly confessed. Ami didn't know him. He was a faceless figure, a paragon of everything she imagined a father to be-a fantasy. Not real.

The melancholy in Makoto's tender smile pushed to the surface and an understanding passed between the two girls. Of course. Makoto could appreciate Ami's sentiment. The brunette was strong and independent, a role model for every other high schooler. Some envied her, wished for her freedoms, while the wiser had sympathy for her. Makoto had no father too-but also didn't have a mother. She'd never known either of her parents.

There was understanding between the pair of girls, but Ami soon felt ashamed. There was hope for a whole family for her-there would never be for Makoto. Ami had a mother that loved her, and to build on so to speak with the prospect of a step-father one day, and perhaps even siblings. Makoto would always be alone.

Ami reached for the brunette's hand, taking it in hers. No, not alone.

"I know what it's like to be lonely," Makoto said, before squeezing the Senshi of Water's hand. "And I know what it's like not to be." Her green eyes spoke, grateful and adoring, accepting and devoted; dozens of emotions that made up a single one; the one Ami felt in return... And one that maybe her mother felt too.

"I'm being selfish..." Ami breathed, casting her gaze away from Makoto's and down at the table underneath the weight of the disgraceful truth.

"Your mother just wants what we have. I know you wouldn't deny anyone, least of all her, this feeling."

Ami hadn't thought to calculate that her mother could be in love with Takeru. That her mother's feelings weren't flippant and something to be disregarded; that it wasn't about *Ami* and how the teenager felt. Her mother was a person-Ami had to face that fact. She couldn't hide from it anymore, couldn't pretend that Saeko Mizuno was born a parent-not if she claimed to really care about her mother.

"The guy is probably having a tough time worrying about you too, you know," Makoto continued. "His girlfriend has a daughter not that younger than him. Suddenly he's part of your life and thrust into the role of a surrogate parent. He probably doesn't know how to treat you, or how you'll react, or if you'll hate him. And that if you hate him, if it means your mother is forced to hate him as well no matter how she really feels." The Senshi of Thunder and Courage shrugged dismissively once more, although her smile for the smaller girl was meaningful. "I don't know, maybe you could give him a chance."

Ami looked up and smiled with the brunette, rather ruefully. "You're smart, Makoto," she noted, appreciative for the sage advice.

"No," Makoto replied, shaking her head, ponytail wagging. "*You're* smart. I'm just saying what you already know in your heart."

They kept their grins, and each other's gazes, until the bill arrived.

Ami walked home by herself. She didn't have to; Makoto was seldom an unwilling escort; but she made the choice. It would not be the last of the night. Ami would choose to look her mother's boyfriend in the eye when she got back to the apartment and saw him there. She would choose to utter Takeru's name aloud, to his face and in her mother's presence. She would choose to acknowledge Takeru's existence, to talk about him when her mother did, to not pretend that he wasn't in their lives. She would choose for Takeru to not be a stranger. She would choose for her mother to be a person. Ami would choose for her mother to be happy.

Makoto had done her part and had her own home to go back to. Ami had to do her part now-there was no one who could do it for her. The Senshi of Wisdom would extend the olive branch, be the good daughter, and accept change like she'd been taught how. Ami walked alone to sort her thoughts and prepare herself, to confront a challenge that only she could overcome, yet she didn't feel alone. Nearby in this city Makoto walked towards her own apartment, thinking of Ami as Ami thought of her. Their paths weren't always shared, but they were always together.

The blue-haired teenager's mobile phone chimed. She smiled. She smiled again when she read the good luck message from Makoto.

Ami lingered a moment outside her apartment door, fingertips on the handle. She knew what she had to do, however that did not mean she wasn't nervous to do it. The Senshi of Water had faced down demons and dangers of the like few scarcely dared invent, with valour any storybook hero would be proud of, but *this*-*life*-was a trial like none other. Youma were a straightforward challenge, to be attacked and attacked until the evil was vanquished. Schoolwork was the same; simple; facts and figures succumbing to rote and repetition. Yet life was something else.

Ami unlocked the door and entered, the metal door swinging closed with announcing racket at her back. She took off her shoes and walked down the hall. It could be that Takeru wasn't here this evening. It could be that it was only her mother waiting for her. It was getting on in hours, and-

"Ami! I have fantastic news!"

The teen was immobilised two steps past the threshold into the living area, pinned suddenly like game caught in a snare. Takeru *was* here. He held Ami's mother's hands, the pair facing each other near the dining table. They gazed at one another, the slight glaze to their eyes disturbingly reminiscent of Ami's memories of herself and Makoto and the girls' special moments together.

Ami swallowed with effort and willed herself to remember her girlfriend's advice, to hear Makoto speak it again in her mind. Ami would be strong not for herself but for Saeko Mizuno.

She managed a smile. "What news?"

There was an excited glance from Ami's mother to Takeru before her eyes went back to her daughter. Ami could hardly recall her mother ever being so... bubbly. "We're moving to Hokkaido!"

It took a moment. Several moments. Ami blinked during those moments, swallowed, then blinked some more. "What?" was all she could muster from her throat.

"Saeko's found a job there," Takeru spoke up, as merry as Ami's mother it appeared. "In a small village. It's very peaceful. I grew up there."

Ami's brow twisted, her head trying to process this... this... blindside. "H-How?" She shook her head to rattle some comprehension to the fore. Still the words came laboriously, pulled from mud that had become her mind. "There's a Level One Trauma Centre there?"

"No, Ami. I'm going into Family Practice," the girl's mother replied. It was as if an alien spoke.

"'Family Practice?'" Ami repeated in amazement. And horror. She could not believe it. Simply could *not* believe it. Her mother giving up surgery in Tokyo to be a General Practitioner in the middle of nowhere? "But... but... you *love* surgery," she said, stated, as if reciting a pure undeniable, unchangeable fact of Saeko Mizuno's life.

"Your mother's tired, Ami," Takeru revealed. Ami's head swung to him mechanically at the sound of his voice, her mouth hanging open. "Being a surgeon is very demanding."

Ami's head swung back to her mother. "Then... take a break. A holiday." This was her idol. Her inspiration. Her motivation for wanting to pursue an education in medicine after High School, for a career in the operating theatre. This was Ami's role model quitting.

The woman that looked like her mother shook her head sadly. "I've been thinking about this for a while." The woman smiled again. "We can spend more time together now."

"So we're just... moving?" Ami stuttered. "What about... about getting a position here?"

"In Tokyo? Ami, you must know how competitive it is, even if I open my own practice."

Takeru looked at Ami with a warm, sympathetic face. "I think she doesn't want to leave her special friend. Makoto, wasn't it?"

"She'll make new friends," the woman said, still smiling that empty smile, her dead eyes for the red-haired young man.

Ami stared at them. She didn't have to ask if Takeru was moving with them. Had it been his idea? Did its seed lie with him? Takeru's grin... was it a sneer? Was his remark coincidental... or contrived? Were his eyes warm... or afire? Who was this stranger? Who were *these* strangers?

"I have homework," Ami said, not recognising her own voice. She went for her room.

Door closed behind her inside her familiar sanctuary, it was as though Ami had suddenly found air to breath. She panted, deep, heavy, panicked breaths. Her schoolbag fell out of her grasp. Like a fading ghost she walked to her bed and carefully laid herself on it. Huddled on her side, the girl brought her knees to her chest. In her hand was her phone. Her lifeline. Ami was never alone.

The teenager dialled. She heard the phone click followed by the voice of normality. She heard Makoto say her name, ask if she was there, ask what was wrong.

"What do we really know about him?" Ami said softly.

* * *

The National Diet Building; the seat of Japan's politics. It was where the House of Representatives and House of Councillors assembled to discuss and argue, the grey, blocky building as staid as the Diet's meetings no doubt were. It was mostly European in style, a scattering of round pillars and a couple of fountains to break up the sharp-angled monotony, yet even they were severe; rigid, characterless-the building's facade seemed stuck on the dreariness of what occurred inside its walls. It was not a place of beauty, unlike the Imperial Palace not too distant from here, elsewhere in Chiyoda-ku. The Diet Building was its antithesis, each distinctive landmark allegories of figurehead romantic royal rule and the real power of blunt democratic government.

The National Diet Building was many things. To Rei it was none of them. To her it was a home, a house. But not her home, not her house. It was a fortress to be laid siege upon, to be conquered through force of will. Never visited by choice, it was a place that, whenever she found herself standing before it, she stood as though she faced an enemy, with steely gaze and steelier nerves. It was a stern, joyless place, cold and emotionless-like the man that dwelled within. A man that was a part of her, in name and blood, but *nothing* else. The National Diet Building was the seat of Japan's politics, of the country's power. To Rei it was the seat of Takashi Hino's power, of a father's power over his daughter.

Rei's throat worked down a hard swallow and she walked past the gardens of perfectly trimmed and cornered hedges-no flowers, no colour. Barely gardens really, meagre islands of dull greenery in the middle of overpowering grey asphalt, nature an afterthought at best. The miko walked up the building's stone steps and through the foreboding four pillars before the main entrance-foreboding purely on account of her long memory of them, of what was beyond them, of what they represented. This place was in Rei's memories as far back to when she'd first formed memories. This place was her father's lover, his mistress; where his heart truly rested. It was everything Takashi Hino was inside. It was everything Rei hated.

"I'm sorry Miss; the building's closed to the public. Tour times are nine to four."

The uniformed guard just inside the foyer sized her up with a quizzical eye, probably speculating how a teenager like Rei had gotten this far into government grounds this late in the evening; specifically past his colleagues at the front gate.

"My name is Rei Hino. Diet member Takashi Hino is my father." The raven-haired girl lifted the visitor's pass pinned to her jeans' pocket the guard hadn't noticed.

The man nodded, tipping his policeman's cap to the Senshi of Fire after a moment's consideration. Rei's lips twitched, half her face rebelling as she fought back a sneer. The front gate's guards had reacted the same. Rei wasn't well-known, but what was well-known was that prominent political figure Takashi Hino did have a teenage daughter. The girl didn't like to acknowledge the link out loud, however her family name *did* open doors. Regardless, Rei had been expected tonight-and perhaps every other night since her father's minions had begun terrorising her for her attention. There had been an ID left at security outside the National Diet Building and direction to let her through should she show. The crisp white envelope with the crisp white card, her name handwritten on both in a pen she knew, had been waiting for her as well.

Rei's father had known she would be coming, one way or another. His arrogant presumption for the success of his hollow father-daughter evening out had tested the careful control Rei only *just* had on her temper, despite the fact she'd likely not have gained admittance into a secure government estate otherwise. The Fire Senshi almost *wanted* it to have been difficult, to have to scream and rage at the top of her lungs and from the bottom of her soul, to have to fight her way in past guards and whatever else ran to stop her-for the opportunity to unleash *everything* that was somehow still confined inside her right now, boiling and burning, a hurricane of fire and feeling.

But no. Not here. Not yet. To scream and rage now would be a fatal mistake. To fight now was to lose. And Rei would not lose to him. What she felt was an explosion; ignited, ticking; but timed to detonate when she saw the whites of her father's eyes and not before. To that end she had summarily torn the envelope and card in half, swallowed every fierce emotion coursing through her down with the bile, and taken the ID. Her moment would come.

Rei walked to the reception desk manned by a solitary figure; a woman in a suit and skirt that seemed a little tired and ruffled, with pulled back hair that had begun to slacken from its bun, and who regarded the miko with strained eyes as she approached. The edges of the last remaining receptionist were rough from a full day of work and night creeping in outside, but she still managed a professionally polite smile for Rei. This was a government building after all.

"Takashi Hino. His office?"

Rei had an image of her father's office in her mind, but the image was old, accredited to a child. Takashi Hino was moving up in the world, and no doubt his office had moved with him, following his heights.

"I believe he may have left for the evening," the receptionist said, taking a glance at the foyer's wall clock to confirm. "Committee meetings and plenary sessions have ended for the day, and most members of the Diet will have returned to their dormitories after 8pm."

"He's here," Rei declared without an ounce of uncertainty.

"I... can check the system to see when his keycard has last been used..." the woman replied a touch nervously under the Fire Senshi's stare, all but asking the teenager if that was something that would appease her.

"Just take me to his office," Rei said. Her voice wasn't one you argued with.

The receptionist escorted the raven-haired girl to an elevator and down hallways, through stairwells and lounges, keeping a metre or so ahead at all times. The woman's pace was brisk, her high heels pummelling the carpeting and the fabric of her skirt swishing constantly like the lashings of a whip. It was as if she appreciated the fire at her back, sensing it throughout.

Rei picked out the office before they reached it-the biggest at the end of the hall, where a secretary still worked despite the dark and empty rooms everywhere else. In an instant the Senshi of Fire and Passion's emotions seethed, almost engulfing her, but she bottled the flames yet again. They would not hold, however. Her time had come.

Rei increased her stride, whisking past the receptionist and the secretary, the latter barking at the Fire Senshi's abrupt intrusion like the pet dog she was. Rei shut the office door on their stunned faces.

Her father was there, chained to his desk, a willing slave. It could have been any day in the past ten years, if not for the new office. His hair was as black as Rei's, the grey not having taken root quite yet, and his face was clean-shaven as befitting someone of his political station. He looked up from his life's work. "A t-shirt and jeans is what you wear for dinner?" he gruffly remarked, the first words out of his mouth a criticism of course.

Rei balled her right fist tighter. She walked into the middle of the office. With a snap of her arm she threw a wad of crushed paper from her fist onto the desk, it rolling atop her father's precious paperwork before stopping just before the table's edge.

Takashi Hino glared at it before picking it up and unravelling the ball. He snorted at what was revealed. His face was unchanged. No expression whatsoever, bar that stern, hard-lined frown. He was a stone, a brick akin to any other in this building.

"You can't buy her," Rei growled. Her eyes would have set fire to the room if they were able. "She's not someone from your world."

Rei's father gradually relaxed back in his reclining leather chair, arms slung over the armrests, leaving the wrinkled cheque laid out on his desk. He regarded Rei like only a father could regard a child. He made her small, petty, juvenile; her every word and gesture that of an infantile tantrum, beneath adult-*his*-concern, barely worth impatient indulgence. Rei despised that it was so effective in cutting her down, getting under her skin.

"If you want to talk about *my* life, you come to *me*," Rei continued on, beginning to snarl, fists clenching together with her jaw. The anger kept her going, gave her momentum before his scorn. "*Face*-to-*face*, so I can tell you it *is* *my* *life*."

"I have responsibilities," Takashi Hino intoned, his voice weary with fatherly patience. Patience that did a poor job of masking a patronising undercurrent. He played the part of the generous, supportive, wounded father-but he could never keep it up for long. Rei had been here before, had this conversion a million times-he could fool his friends, his colleagues, outsiders, but not her. Rei knew the real man, knew the real father. "I have people that rely on me. You can have your 'face-to-face' when I invite you. If you will not come when I say to come, *what* am I supposed to do?" His voice began to clip, more condescending, rising sharply as genuine feeling trampled the charade. Takashi Hino was an effective politician everywhere except in front of his only daughter. "My work leaves me with little time for family."

"I know," Rei acknowledged darkly.

"You are here now. Tell me about 'your life'. Tell me about the embarrassment you're bringing on our family."

"This isn't a family," Rei shot back, venom dripping. "*You* saw to that." She watched as her father's lips compressed into a thin line. "The only person embarrassed is *you*. And *you* don't matter."

The miko's father slammed his palm against his desk, the bang thundering through the room and whatever decorum lingered. Rei didn't move a muscle, familiar with the man's outbursts. While never physical with her, he utilised violence in no less intimidating fashion. Rei knew his game. She knew never to give in, to never *be* intimidated. She could deny him his power with her own resolve.

"You don't think I care?" Takashi Hino shouted. His eyes were copies of Rei's; burning gemstones; yet his face was still carved from rock. "You don't think I care when you engage in *sickening* acts? You're *perverting* yourself! Wasting your life! Ruining it!"

"You only care about my life when it suits you; when it affects you!" the raven-haired girl screamed back, over his yelling. "You don't know me! You're not a part of my life! You just know what *you* want, and try to force it on me!"

"What do you intend to do with your life? *WHAT*? I pay for your tuition at the *best* school that would have you! I put a *roof* over your head and those *clothes* on your back! I-!"

"I never asked to go to that school! I never wanted *anything* from you! You pay for it because it was what *you* wanted! It's my *grandfather* that looks after me!"

"*My* father-in-law can't even look after himself without *me*! Who do you think donates to the Hikawa Jinja to keep you fed and warm? Do you think that senile old man has *any* money? He's a *dreamer* that never amounted to anything; I've always said so, and I was right! And he's bringing you down with him!"

It wasn't really about Usagi. The Senshi of Passion's girlfriend was the catalyst, but it was the same fight on repeat, the old fires relit. Rei and her father screamed and shouted atop one another on and on, scrambled rage, one argument threading into the next, each trying to conquer the other with their own hotter temper and louder vocals. Neither Hino gave an inch. Even when Rei was taken aback by her father's previously unknown contribution to the Hikawa Jinja's coffers she sustained her attack, defending her Grandpa, defending her way of life, defending everything she was while countering everything the man opposite her said; the lies and half-truths and misconstrued realities-all made to paint her in the worst light possible, as the worst daughter there was, and Takashi Hino the most dedicated and loving father to put up with her.

"I thought living as a miko would keep you pure and on the right path. How wrong I was. I allowed you to live as you wish and *this* is how you turn out? You don't want my money? You don't want my help? Then I'll cancel your enrolment in that 'school you hate' tomorrow morning and be *done* with you! See how long you last out there without a diploma! After selling yourself on the street you will *beg* for me!"

"I'm not your property, I'm not your doll, I'm not one of your yes-men!" Rei shrieked above her father's threats. Her eyes stung, her face was wet. Her heart and soul spoke for her, rational thought and self-control blind in the inferno. "I won't be my mother! I won't let you decide for me! I won't let you trap me in what *you* desire! I won't let you dictate my life!"

"Your mother," Takashi Hino muttered, his bluster dipping slightly. It was a short dip. "What would she think of you? What would she think of you and this girl? She'd want you to marry; she'd want you to-!"

"Why would you care what she thinks?" Rei howled, nearly doubling over to push the words out with everything that she could, her throat hoarse with tears and fury. "You *never* cared*! You never cared about her! You don't have *any* right to talk about her! You *LEFT* her! You left her *ALONE* when she needed you the most! You left *ME*! I *HATE* you!"

Rei's final scream echoed around the office, both parties brought to silence; a ceasefire; the fire having burned itself out for the time being. Rei was drained. She'd battled dozens of monsters for hours on end, only to battle hundreds more the next day; to the brink of fatigue and death she'd saved the world-but she'd felt no weight dragging on her shoulders then like she did now. The girl felt if she took a step she would stagger, that if she took another heavy breath her lungs would split. Her mind was a haze, the spent anger leaving a void in its wake.

But her spirit was there. Her will. Rei didn't wipe her tears. She pretended they weren't there, shining on her cheeks. Rei didn't want her father to see her do it. She didn't want to give him any sort of victory, despite the obvious streaks to her features. Besides, the tears weren't for him. Nor were they for herself.

Takashi Hino knew who they were for.

"Usagi's great," Rei said out of the blue, staring into space. She clung to the thought of her Princess, letting her love give her strength, letting the girl fill her mind when there was nothing else left. Rei smiled softly in spite of everything. "You don't know her. She's fun. And cute. And beautiful. Seeing her smile is like... watching a sunrise and knowing it's something special in this world. She's kind and good, and a friend like no one else." Rei let out a small chuckle. "She's clumsy, and dizzy, and cheery. She's everything my life was missing. I love her. I won't betray her. Not for anything. Not for money, not for duty, not for myself. Not for you. I'm not like you."

There were fresh tears. This time for another someone. This time for happiness. Rei wore them proudly.

Rei turned her head to her father, focusing on him and the room around her again through the tears. "Leave us alone," she said, without any malice or demand. It was just a straightforward direction, spoken in a straightforward tone, suggesting that to do anything else would be simply at odds with everything natural in the world.

Rei walked out of the office. If her father said more she didn't hear it. If his frenetic secretary said anything she wasn't aware of it. If the deployed security staff said anything she didn't know of it. Rei's father always had the power. He always had a say. He always had the last word. But not in this moment. This moment was Rei's. This moment she had triumphed. This moment she was free, she was in love, and Usagi and her would live happily ever after.

By the time Rei got back to the Hikawa Jinja darkness had well and truly fallen. The stars were out, and the moon with them. The latter's Princess sat underneath its ethereal glow, on the steps of the Jinja's veranda.

Rei stopped for a moment in the courtyard when she saw Usagi waiting for her. She didn't know why she was surprised to see that vision in the moonlight, sitting on her doorstep, but the Fire Senshi was. Of course Usagi would have waited. That the blonde waited for *Rei*, perhaps, was what was surprising even now.

"What happened? Where did you go? Did you talk to...?"

Rei was quiet as she walked on over to her Princess, until she took a seat beside her on the stairs. "My father and I rarely 'talk'."

"Oh..." Usagi breathed, getting the grisly picture. She fidgeted for a couple of seconds. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said anything. It wasn't really that big of a deal."

Rei shook her head, staring out across the Hikawa Jinja's courtyard at the wooden torii and the surrounding forest. "It was. And *I'm* sorry. I didn't want you to be exposed to... this. I didn't want you to know... to have this... *disease* in your life. It's not your burden to bear."

"No, Rei..." Usagi said tenderly, placing her hand on the miko's forearm and squeezing. "I want it to be. I don't want you to think you have to do everything by yourself. I want to be there. I want to be someone you can count on."

Rei turned her gaze to the blonde, simply regarding the heartfelt girl for a while. Her father could never understand Usagi. They were truly worlds apart. "Whatever was said to you wasn't true. Whatever they, he-"

Usagi stopped her girlfriend's rush of worry with a smile and a nod. "I know big bullies when I see them."

Rei grinned ruefully, and idly stroked the silky flaxen strands that fell past her love's cheek. Not so much the fragile Princess.

"...What's going to happen?"

Rei sighed, reluctantly recalling her father's threats. "He could be all talk. It probably is. He shouts and yells and makes a huge drama, but hardly ever follows through on anything afterwards. It's too much effort for him I guess. It would mean he had to care." Rei didn't know that for sure, though. She never knew for sure. With that doubt her father reigned over her long after their clashes had concluded. Even living apart from him she lived in fear of him. Moreover, this was the first instance Rei had ever had a lover of the same sex to vex him so. "We might have to tighten our belts around the Jinja," she grudgingly confessed. "High School might be out early this year for me too."

"It's okay, Rei. Your Grandpa will let you stay here no matter what, I know it!" Usagi assured the raven-haired teenager. "And... and you can just go to public school... With me! And with Ami and everyone else! It might even be great!" She spoke with such optimism it was hard to consider anything not working out just fine. But like Takashi Hino, Rei Hino lived in a different world to Usagi. A world of realities and tragedies, where terrible things just happened with no rhyme or reason, where justice was rare and fairytales stayed just that-fairytales.

"I hate him," Rei said quietly into the night air.

"No Rei, don't say that..." Usagi whispered at her side.

"He's everything that's bad inside me," the Senshi of Fire and Passion persisted in spite of the blonde's distressed visage and pained eyes. "When I see him, I can see why I am like I am. It reminds me that he's a part of me; that what he is *I* can be as well. That potential. That curse." Rei looked desperately at Usagi, as pained as other girl. "I don't want to be like him."

Usagi hugged Rei, quick and close. "You're not, Rei. You won't be. You won't ever be."

Rei clung to the other girl fiercely. If Rei turned out alright, it would be because of *this*. It would be because of Usagi and what she felt for her. It would be because of love, *real* love, and the belief of a Princess. Because fairytales *did* come true. Because Rei had one right now, in her arms, holding her; loving her. There was no question that Rei's father could never break them up. Rei and Usagi's hard-fought future would never be pulled apart by the mundane, by the cheap machinations of a bigot and tyrant. Takashi Hino couldn't hope to comprehend this love. He couldn't hope to understand what had been put at stake for two hearts, what had been sacrificed, what had been endured. He couldn't hope to know that *because* of this girl, *because* of this love, his daughter was pure and on the right path.

Most of all, he couldn't hope to take it away from Rei.

No one could.

* * *

To be continued...

Author's ramblings:

I channelled a lot of personal parental angst for this one.

Yankee = Slang for a teenage delinquent

Shinai = Bamboo sword

Omiai = In a nut shell, a meeting arranged between people for the purpose of sizing one another up for marriage.

Gakuran = Male school uniform


	9. From the Inside, Act I

Past Lives - By Kirika

* * *

The eighth chapter.

- Kirika

* * *

Chapter 8 - From The Inside, Act I

Rei stood in her bedroom at the Hikawa Jinja. It had been home for as long as she cared to remember. From the soft tatami mats to the frugal furnishings, little had changed within the four walls from that first night she had spent here, curled up on a musty futon, in the care of someone she didn't really know, crying herself to exhaustion. That night she had been born. Before, Rei hadn't really been somebody. She had simply existed, bending as the world pushed, doing what was expected of her, obeying because she knew no other way, content in her place as a young girl, the daughter of a mother and a father. Her mother had taught her love, had shown it to her every day before that night, had assured her the same would have come from her father had he been there-her mother had made her feel that all was right with the world and her place in it. Risa Hino had been the young girl's shelter from the real world, the world everyone else was forced to live in one day. And the real world had come for Risa Hino one day. Raw reality came, but still she had sheltered her daughter. Still Risa Hino had shown her love, still she had promised that her father had the same inside him, that everything would still be alright. Up until her very last breath.

Rei had woken up the next morning in a different place in a different world. Every waking morning since then it had shaped her. The raven-haired girl was older now; older than her years. She was old in spirit, aged beyond her peers, and wiser to the ways of the world. Underneath the fire hers was a soul of scars and burns.

Rei wondered who she would be now had fate seen her live differently. Would she still be standing in this room in the Hikawa Jinja? Would she still feel as she did now? Had fate decided that this, *this* person standing here, would be the Senshi of Fire and Passion the world needed? Had her mother been chosen to die, had her father been made to be what he is?

It was a passing introspection only, collecting with the teenager's other idle thoughts and fantasies, fading into her subconscious. It hadn't always been. Rei had carried those questions for a long time, had dwelled in the what-if, had let it all smoulder inside her. She still hadn't any answers. Yet it no longer mattered. There was no going back. There was no changing anything. But most of all Rei didn't want to change who she was now. Rei was content in her place in this world.

Rei stood in her bedroom in the Hikawa Jinja. She gazed at the walls, at the bookcase's shelves, at her desk and dressing table. Little had changed in the room since that first night, but what had changed spoke of a life lived and savoured-it spoke of someone who knew love and how to show it. Deep down, the young girl Risa Hino had sheltered was still here. If Rei's mother could see Rei now she would surely be smiling.

Photographs plastered the bedroom's walls; walls that had been bare in the past; a jumbled assortment illustrating generations of the girl's friendships. At first there was only a young miko with her Grandpa, standing hesitantly outside her new home. But then there Rei was with Ami, when it had just been them and Usagi, thrust together by destiny, three youngsters all of a sudden meant to fight against a great and ancient evil reborn. Then Makoto appeared in the pictures, another discovered ally-another friend. Eventually Minako's grinning visage joined in, the tight-knit group complete at last. The girls in the photos grew older, but other faces stayed young; Chibi-Usa and Hotaru showing up. The five girls in the photos got older still, as did the new friends, Haruka and Michiru and Setsuna captured next to Rei and the others. There were snapshots of Rei with Yuuichirou mixed in, and with Mamoru and Motoki, none no less friends than the others. It was a life on these walls, of a girl growing up, finding her feet, and finding her way. Rei had a smile on her lips in every photograph.

The photos on her shelves and desk were framed, picked out from the rest. It was these that Rei spent most of her time looking at. For as great a story as the wall montage told, it was second to the tale told here. Snaps of Rei with Usagi were everywhere, the girls aged as they were now, and not appearing as they had in the other shots. The pair was by themselves, and they had something... more... in their eyes unlike those pictures in the past, something greater about their smiles. Their looks were gazes, their hugs were embraces. The photographs told a tale just begun, a tale without end. A tale about more than friendship-a tale about love.

Rei picked up one particular picture from her dressing table. Behind the glass the framed photo was a tad ratty. The corners were folded and squashed, some creases ran through it, and there were some dirty smudges and speckling that could be dried blood-her blood. Rei and her Princess were still young in this picture, snapped in the era when it had just been the early trio of Senshi; Moon, Water, and Fire. It was during a time of innocence, before... everything now. How far Rei and Usagi had come since then.

"Do you think it was worth it?"

Rei heard the pitter-patter of Luna's paws on the kotatsu behind her, but it was the cat's question that lingered in her ears. The Senshi of Passion looked at the picture, her own older reflection caught faintly in the glass. She had carried this photo with her throughout her absence from Tokyo and from the rest of the Sailor Senshi... and from her Princess. In Yokohama it had sustained her, the one keepsake she had brought with her into that new... existence. It hadn't been a life. Rei had still breathed, her heart had still beaten-but she hadn't been alive inside. Back then she had believed it the better path, the lesser pain... if only for herself. She hadn't put into full consideration the people she had left behind. She hadn't fully considered Usagi. Of course Rei had known Usagi and her friends would have been hurt, however their anguish had still been second to her own. She had been selfish and wrong. What would have happened had Rei never come back? Would the Senshi of Fire have returned on her own if Setsuna hadn't summoned her? Would the secret love she had buried in her heart have faded with time and distance, or would the tie between Senshi and best friends eventually, inexorably, have tugged her back into her Princess's sight? Where might Rei be standing now, staring at this same photograph, had Usagi not needed her?

"How is Usagi?"

"Asleep," Luna answered, with a longsuffering tone that said it shouldn't come as a shock. There was a moment's silence, the miko sensing the feline's hesitation. "She worries about you. But Usagi is Usagi."

Rei dipped her head slightly in acknowledgement. Usagi was resilient. She was better than Rei at surviving.

"Was it worth it?"

The Fire Senshi smoothed a thumb over the photo frame's glass where the dots of blood were. She had been right about one thing; Yokohama had been the path of less pain. For all the wounds and sorrow her absence had caused to herself and others, it had been a drop in an ocean of blood and misery compared to what had happened after her return. Even now there was still suffering because of the choices Rei had made.

The raven-haired girl glanced down at the letter she held in her other hand. It was from the T*A Private Girls' School administration expressing their regrets that she was leaving the academy's care. The phrasing made it sound like it was Rei's decision; that she was going onto bigger and better things; that she had another school waiting somewhere else to take her in. Her father, ever true to his politicking poison, had surely spun it in that manner to save face. He would never publically disgrace her, not while she still bore the Hino name, not while her 'muck' could splash on and soil him too. He wouldn't even let her see the rest of the semester out. At last, Rei had done something to demolish the status quo, such that it was, that she had with her father. Being in love with a girl was evidently too much, tipping their rocky relationship finally over the edge and into a no doubt long spiralling descent. The girl's feelings were mixed, part of her afire to have riled him so, glorying in the victory. The rest of Rei; the parts that had her stomach knotted and her mouth dry; saw no victory bar a hollow one, and all the upcoming hardships that followed it. If her father could resort to this so quickly it did not seem promising that the Hikawa Jinja's coffers would be showed leniency. It was going to be gruelling on Rei's elderly Grandpa. For his sake the miko felt the worst.

And then there was always Usagi to consider. To think Rei's father would leave the blonde alone now was a delusion. Takashi Hino would never give up on trying to split Rei and Usagi. Never.

"Would you say it was?" Rei asked. The Fire Senshi and Usagi's furry advisor had not been on the same page very often since the girl's absence in Yokohama, a total turnabout from how it used to be between them. In some sense Luna was an enemy to Rei like the miko's father was; a dissenter, the naysayer; always in opposition to the teenager's choices... and desires. Perhaps it was too much to lump Luna in with Takashi Hino. However Rei recalled occasions when the cat and her pessimism had really tested her temper. Out of respect for Usagi and the blonde's close relationship with her four-legged companion, Rei had done her utmost to simply ignore Luna's criticism, regardless of how grating or hurtful her words grew to become. In the past Luna had been the mouthpiece for the niggling doubt in Rei's mind, expressing the fears for the future Rei had already carried deep within her, fears the Senshi of Fire hadn't wanted to acknowledge were there, let alone confront. Hearing them out in the open had naturally been... trying... on their rapport.

Why Rei asked Luna for her opinion now, when it had not mattered before, she didn't quite know. Maybe it was because there was no one else here to ask but herself otherwise. Maybe, intoxicated with how at peace she was, Rei needed to hear that voice of doubt again and remind herself that although she was content in her place in the world, others might not believe she had a right to be.

Rei heard Luna exhale heavily behind her, and the feline was quiet for a time. The girl supposed Luna hadn't thought to have her question posed back to her. "I can't say if it was all worth it," Luna eventually admitted. "A lot happened that should not have happened. Senshi fighting Senshi. Gambling with Chibi-Usa's very existence, risking Crystal Tokyo-risking the *future* of the *planet*!" Rei could virtually hear her whiskers bristle and twitch. "You were lucky. For whatever reason, fate smiled on you. And, fortunately, on Usagi.

"Now I see two people I've watched grow up twice over, happy," Luna continued. She had relaxed some, whether in defeatist resignation or from genuine contentment at the outcome of Rei's actions, the girl couldn't tell. "Perhaps that is all that really matters. Perhaps the ending is all that counts. 'Was it worth it?' That's not for me to say. Only you can, Rei. Only you."

Rei stared at her naive young self in the photograph. She blinked, and looked at herself as she was now staring back up from the shiny glass. If Rei could talk to her young self back when this photo had been taken... nothing would have passed her lips. Rei was standing where she was meant to be standing. The struggle, the pain-hers had not been an easy path, but it had been the right path. It had been the only path. There would always be more struggles, more pain... more blood. It didn't end just because she was content. Rei had fought for and earned the right to be in love; she had to keep proving to the universe that she still deserved it.

That wouldn't be a problem.

Rei crushed the letter in her fist and looked over her shoulder at Luna. The Senshi of Passion had a smile on her face. "She is always worth it."

Luna, to the teen's surprise, nodded sagely, and then smiled too. "The Moon Princess has no greater protector than you. If for nothing else, I'm grateful for that."

"I wasn't exactly deadweight before," the Fire Senshi retorted with a smirk.

"You know what I mean. Love... it has a power."

"I know what you mean," Rei said solemnly, the bravado gone. "Thank you, Luna."

Luna leapt from the kotatsu to the dressing table with all the grace her feline body possessed. She looked over the array of framed photographs. "You make Usagi happy. You're happy too. I don't think I really saw it before. I think I only saw what could go wrong."

"You were just being a good guardian for our Princess," Rei graciously remarked, mustering more than she thought she had for the cat. There was a definite change between them. The tension wasn't there anymore. Luna wasn't an enemy. Had she ever truly been? "What brings you here anyway?"

"Oh! I, um... no reason..." Luna started, her coat of fur standing up some, "I just thought I should check in after what Usagi told me happened yesterday. I was on my way to see Artemis as a matter of fact!"

"Uh huh," Rei replied, unconvinced. Luna hadn't 'checked in' in months. The raven-haired girl put down the battered picture of her and Usagi back in its spot, before nuzzling the top of Luna's head with a knuckle. She wondered how much influence that beaming odango atama in the photo had had in Luna's sudden visit and change of heart.

"What's that?" Luna inquired in a blatant diversion of subject, pointing her little nose at the balled up paper in Rei's other hand.

"It's nothing important," the Senshi of Passion said, tossing the T*A Private Girls' School letter in the bin by her desk to lay with the rest of the trash. It wasn't a lie. It wasn't important when weighed against everything else in her life; everything wonderful, everything that truly mattered. "Are you hungry?"

"No, that's okay. I should be off. Someone has to get Usagi out of bed!" In a blink of an eye a flustered Luna had hopped off the dressing table and was bounding over the floor, slipping out the way she had no doubt come in-through the crack left by the slightly open rear shoji screen door.

"I thought you were going to see Artemis?" Rei called after her, with more than a bit of amusement.

Hungry herself, Rei left her bedroom for the long halls of the Jinja, and the kitchen at the rear in an attached sub-building. The scents that wafted through the halls and titillated her nose said that someone else was peckish, and invigorated her own appetite past what she had thought it was. The captivating smells led the miko the rest of the way to her Grandpa who turned out to be the chef; the old man slicing vegetables for a broth that was simmering behind him on the kamada. He stood on a stool to reach the counter, his short stature rather crippling for a modern kitchen. The Hikawa Jinja's kitchen had evolved with the shifting era, everyday appliances and contemporary cabinets lined up against one wall, however at its core it was still a kitchen from the Edo period. The entire room was sunken into the ground with the lacquered flooring of the connecting corridor ending in favour of bare soil, and Rei's Grandpa did nearly all of his cooking on a traditional wood-burning clay kamada. There was even a well. The outdated methods weren't too much of a detriment to cooking, especially when it was the regional fare under the knife and on the stove, but there were occasions when you just wanted to reheat a leftover lasagne. It was during those times that Rei was grateful for the invention of the microwave.

"Rei!" the girl's Grandpa merrily greeted, halting his chopping to give her a big smile. "Lunch isn't ready yet. There are onigiri I made last night in the fridge if you're hungry."

Rei hopped down into the kitchen and opened the fridge, pulling out a big riceball. "What did you put in them?" she said, before taking a bite out of the top to find out.

"Katsuobushi," her Grandpa replied as he resumed his slicing.

"When did you say you made these?" Rei said through a munching mouthful of rice and seaweed and fish, not recalling the snack at the dinner table yesterday.

"Last night," the elderly man said, while intent on the daikon under his blade. "You were out."

Rei stopped chewing for a second before starting again much more slowly. Had Usagi told him *specifically* where she had gone last night and who she had met? No, the blonde would have mentioned it to her. Rei had wanted to keep everything from her Grandpa if she was able. Being kicked out of school would come as an especially brutal shock to him. Or maybe it wouldn't, with her violent and trouble-filled history and her Grandpa's assumptions.

"Oh yeah...?" the Fire Senshi murmured with feigned inattentiveness, as if her outing yesterday evening was no major thing.

For a moment or two the knife hitting against the cutting board and the gentle bubbling from the kamada replaced the conversation, and Rei began to believe she'd hear no more of yesterday. The miko ate her onigiri with renewed gusto.

"You and your Dad had words again." The girl's grandfather was many things, but he was no fool. And he said it so nonchalantly, as if he wasn't very aware of the fireworks that delightful scenario *always* caused.

Rei took a second big bite from the riceball and chewed at a snail's speed once more, buying the time to cobble together the most judicious response in her head. She weighed how well her Grandpa was informed against how much she wanted to bring him into the loop. The retraction of her school tuition was definitely out. The miko wouldn't lie to him... however what he didn't know couldn't upset him. Rei's Grandpa didn't have a delicate constitution by any stretch, but he wasn't getting any younger and the stress might shave off some years. She had to spare him where and when she could. At least that's what the miko told herself. Rei couldn't lie to herself either, her feelings of guilt already building.

"I had to see him," Rei said once her mouth was empty. "'Words' had to be said."

"What was it this time?" her Grandpa said in his same cheery vein, unfazed by the teenager's grimmer air. "It must have been something for *you* to seek *him* out."

"It was. It *is*," the Fire Senshi retorted, heat beginning to sink into her voice. She stopped and took a long breath to control it, the fire never for her Grandpa. "What do you think it is?" she continued, still getting angry, but her words deliberately slow and enunciated to promote calm. It only barely helped, the bitter sarcasm yet prominent to her ears. She hoped her grandfather couldn't tell. "What's changed with me recently? What's *good* in my life right now? What is it that my father can 'disapprove of' now that I'm happy?"

"I see why you're angry," Rei's Grandpa remarked, pushing the sliced daikon aside and picking up a stick of celery for his board. "Usagi is a special girl. Your Dad just doesn't know her."

Rei blew air through her teeth. "Yeah. Right. He doesn't want to know her." She shook her head irritably as a sudden burst of rage hit her. "And it's not even about Usagi! It's about *me* being with her. It's about him not liking that."

"Your Dad; he is a traditionalist," the girl's Grandpa said. It sounded like he was *defending* her father. "And, you know, with his position-"

"That's *not* an *excuse*!" Rei shouted, absolutely sick of Takashi Hino's role in the country's government as a license to mistreat his family. "It wasn't *then*, it isn't *now*! He tried to *buy* her, Grandpa! He tried to buy Usagi off so she wouldn't see me anymore!" The onigiri, unwittingly already squashed between her fingers, abruptly was hurled from her hand against the kitchen counter, exploding like a grenade on contact.

Rei's chest rose and fell quickly. She closed her eyes, concentrating on her breathing, forcing herself to draw it out; slow it down. "I'm sorry..." she said, glancing at the riceball mostly flattened like a pancake to the counter and then away, "I didn't mean to... I'll clean it up."

"Oh, I don't agree with that," the miko's grandfather said, finishing with the celery and moving onto dicing peeled potatoes, his good spirits even now untouched, as if he hadn't noticed the teenager's furious eruption with his vegetables in front of him. "It's obvious now he certainly doesn't know Usagi."

Rei scooped up the demolished onigiri and dropped it in the trash, before she went about picking off pieces of sticky rice from the fridge and cabinet doors. She laboured quietly, eventually squatting to gather the last chunks of rice from the ground. "...You should have told me he donated to the jinja," the girl brought up once she had thrown the remaining riceball bits in the garbage. She had composed herself, yet was still openly hurt that she hadn't been informed that the Hikawa Jinja's biggest benefactor was her father.

Her Grandpa sighed for the first time, putting down his knife. He looked at the miko. "Takashi wanted to. It was his way of looking after you."

"It's been going on this long? Since I first came to live here?"

Rei's Grandpa nodded.

Rei looked at him, unsure what to think. Was that why her grandfather had accepted her into his care? It was a lucrative deal, and Takashi Hino was all about those. How much did it cost to feed and clothe a growing girl into her teens? How much did you sell a daughter for? Whatever figure had accumulated over the years, the Hikawa Jinja was financially secure and then some for as long as Rei was a miko here. At least, it had been until last night.

"I know what you're thinking," the girl's Grandpa said, sincere all of sudden. "I didn't take you in because your father asked me to, or for the cheques that started to appear in the mail. I never asked for that. I would have taken you in anyway because *I* wanted to. Because you were-are-Risa's." He reached out from his perch, placing his hand over the raven-haired teenager's forearm. "I see my girl in you. Every day. You're my daughter's daughter. Just to have you near... it's more than enough for this old man."

Rei smiled softly at him, her eyes wet. She didn't have any words. She felt terrible for questioning his integrity for even that brief moment. Of course her Grandpa would never have traded her care for cash-he didn't have any Hino blood.

"I wouldn't count on that money anymore," Rei commented.

"You don't have to worry," her Grandpa grinned, blowing off the miko's concern. He patted her on the arm and returned to his chopping. "Your Dad loves you. You are his too, just as you are Risa's."

"That's the problem..." Rei muttered under her breath. "You shouldn't be accepting that money anyway," she objected more loudly. "It's not right. I don't like it. I'll get a job... a job outside of the jinja."

"No, Rei," her Grandpa swiftly dismissed. "When would you with school? I don't think a private academy would allow their students to have part-time jobs."

"I'll do it somehow," Rei insisted, though her lack of confidence was felt in her voice. She paused a second, deciding to test the waters. "Maybe I could drop out..." she added, flippancy as her escape in the more than likely event the waters were shark-infested, with her grandfather's reaction not outright glowing.

"*No*, Rei," her Grandpa immediately outlawed. He said it without rancour but firmly, making no mistake that ending her education would never be an option. "You will not be dropping out of High School." Rei guessed to him ditching was one thing, dropping out altogether quite the other. In that case Rei was going on one long ditch once her days at the T*A Private Girls' School ran out.

Grandpa carefully stepped down from his stool, bringing with him his cutting board laden with sliced vegetables, and shuffled over to the kamado. The old-fashioned stove was built low to the ground, forcing cooks to squat, however it turned out to be the perfect height for the miko's already squat grandfather. "No more of this talk." With the side of his knife, he pushed the vegetables from the board into the broth. "You'll see, Rei. Everything will be fine," he said, ever the optimist. "Takashi wasn't the same after Risa fell ill. But he is still your father in his heart."

"He *was* the same," Rei quietly countered. "He didn't change, and that... that's why..." She shook her head gently, the argument a useless effort. Her Grandpa, bless his soul, saw the best in everyone always, in good times and bad. Rei saw reality. Rei saw people as they truly were-especially in the bad times.

"Losing someone you love is difficult, Rei," the Fire Senshi's grandfather stated as he slipped the cutting board and the knife on top of the too-high kitchen counter, his short arms outstretched. She could almost hear a weary sigh in his voice. "Everyone faces it differently. Everyone bears a scar. I know you understand this better than most. You and I loved Risa in our own unique way; as a mother, as a daughter. Takashi had his way too. He *loved* her. When someone you love dies... you die with them." He smiled at her. "Lunch will be ready soon."

Rei nodded, retreating from the kitchen into the hallway. Grandpa wanted to believe his daughter hadn't misplaced her affection. He wanted to believe that Risa was loved at her end. He wanted to believe in Takashi Hino. Perhaps that was Rei's Grandpa's scar. That was what Risa's death had left in him, that hopeless faith in his daughter's husband; that hopeless hope that Risa's love in this world hadn't been wasted.

Rei had a different scar. Rei saw reality.

* * *

Makoto studied the shorter girl walking next to her out of the corner of one green eye. Ami's face said it all. She wondered if Ami had gotten any sleep last night... probably not, by the dark circles under her eyes and by how pasty white she was. The blue haired girl looked stressed to her limit. It was the sort of face Makoto had seen before only a few times; like when Ami thought she had forgotten to finish an important piece of homework or review a specific topic ahead of a big exam. There was that dread in the Water Senshi's dull blue eyes; a weight over her features. But... no, this was way worse than some make-believe foul up in a school test that was just in the other girl's head. The only real instance that came close was when Rei had... gone missing. It wasn't the here and now that beset Ami's visage; it was the future in her face, what came after. Makoto could see it, the consequences running through the Senshi of Wisdom's mind, playing out like a prophecy behind her gaze, the change rippling through her life yet to be lived.

Makoto imagined her own face didn't improve on Ami's much. She hadn't slept a lot either after talking to her last night over the phone. The brunette hadn't expected Ami to call so soon after they had parted, positive that she had lessened her girlfriend's fears over her mother's 'reinvigorated' social life. But the girl on the other line had sounded as if she hadn't talked to Makoto about it at all, what with her sudden and total about face on the subject of her mother's boyfriend, Takeru. The Senshi of Courage's surprise however had only lasted up until Ami had revealed the newest development in Saeko Mizuno's lovelife-that they were all moving far away to the proverbial sticks. 'Alarm' was the better word for what Makoto had felt after that. Makoto had been a neutral party to the whole dating affair with Ami's mother; an unbiased outsider, the impartial advice-giver; it was hard to be that now she had a personal stake in the proceedings. Ami... moving away? *Now*, when the two girls were just really beginning their exploration of each other, and their respective places in one another's lives? *Now*, when they had finally *discovered* each other, when they finally *understood* how the other felt? *Now*... that there was real... pure... storybook romance between them? It couldn't happen. Their love couldn't end like this.

Ami had naturally been crushed on the phone. Makoto had done her best to calm her, reassurances and pledges for the norm surviving flowing-in spite of having felt rather crushed herself. Makoto had to stay strong. She did have her own emotional investment in the situation, but it was Ami's life on the line first and foremost. Whatever the Senshi of Courage was experiencing, it was second to Ami's turmoil. It was *Ami's* mother leaving, *Ami's* home moving. It was not for Ami to see her fall apart when what the girl needed was a pillar of support; a trustworthy someone to talk to who would listen; someone who would hear out her anxieties and reservations and thoughts and feelings. Besides... Ami had to know Makoto didn't want her to go. She had to know Makoto's heart.

Ami was quiet now, in contrast to the distraught night spent with Makoto on the telephone, mired in her bleak contemplations. Makoto wasn't sure if it was a good change. The Senshi of Thunder believed she would have preferred tears, something obvious; something she was used to and could soothe; to this dark brooding. Ami was a smart girl, full of thought. Too smart for her own good now, with too many thoughts. Ami was in a cerebral frenzy to solve this puzzle that was her changing world, obsessed with the result an incorrect answer would lead to.

The plastic bags in Makoto's hands rustled with her stride, loaded down with groceries from the supermarket near her apartment. Lunch and dinner was in those bags-Ami was staying over. Whether she would spend the night was still up in the air, but Makoto suspected she would. Maybe she would stay more than one night. It had been left unsaid, however Ami predictably couldn't stomach hanging around her own apartment, choosing to shun it and the people-turned-strangers inside, at least until she got her thoughts in order... Or maybe the Senshi of Wisdom was trying to make the most of the time she had left here in Tokyo; the time with Makoto. That was a depressing thought. Having Ami over was never an unhappy occurrence normally, yet Makoto wished the circumstances weren't forcing it to occur now, tainting the enjoyment. The brunette wondered how many nights they had left together. And... she wondered... if their nights in each other's arms really had to be numbered.

Makoto had a solution to her girlfriend's puzzle. It had come to her almost immediately upon hearing Ami's troubles. Saeko Mizuno might be moving away... however her daughter didn't *have* to follow her. Ami wasn't a child; she was the same age as Makoto; a young adult who lived independently, and had done without incident for several years. Ami could do the same-and she didn't even have to do it alone. Ami could live with her. Makoto had the room at her place. Ami already spent more of her time in the brunette's apartment than in her own; if her mother didn't expect her home in her bed every so often Ami would probably be living there proper. It wouldn't be such a big change. It was the perfect answer. Saeko Mizuno got to live out her lovelife however she wanted, while Ami got to keep her life the way it was.

As perfect as it was, Makoto had kept this idea to herself. Separating Ami from her mother would be rough on her-goodbyes among family always were. Moreover, it wasn't exactly a selfless solution. Makoto had a lot to gain from the arrangement. Cohabiting with Ami twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, as a loving couple would... It was her dream of sorts, her idle fantasy suddenly within reach. But Makoto couldn't reach out for it herself. It wasn't hers to take. Ami had to arrive at this answer by herself. Makoto mused whether the Senshi of Wisdom had considered it already. Surely she must have. Surely...

The pair arrived back at Makoto's apartment building; at what could be home for them both; entering the lobby and making for the stairs. One flight in and the brunette heard Ami speak behind her. It was starting again.

"Something is off about Takeru."

Makoto didn't say anything, choosing to wait until they reached her apartment's level. It gave her a chance to carefully devise what to say. Ami blamed Takeru for everything. Not unusual, considering, though pretty uncharacteristic for a girl who normally had a head for logic and sense. It was obviously too personal; too much in her heart than in her head. The only thing off about Takeru according to Ami was his interest in her mother. That was the bottom line, and the root of every misgiving she could ever come up with to stick on the young man. That was how Makoto saw it. That was how Ami would have seen it too, if she was really thinking.

"What have you noticed?" the Senshi of Courage coaxed, clearing the final step to her floor. She wasn't patronising. No matter Makoto's own opinion, this was Ami's worry. Belittling her suffering girlfriend's beliefs wouldn't help anything, and would only close off Ami to her. Makoto wanted to be supportive, she wanted to take the blue haired girl's opinion seriously, as if it *was* her own, and feed her as much clarity as she could on the subject. Makoto wasn't indulging her-she was believing her.

"I don't know..." Ami breathed, virtually a sigh. "Small things... I can't explain it... The way he stares sometimes..."

It was a rehash of last night's telephone exchange, vague uneasiness and unsubstantiated notions. Makoto, patience inexhaustible for her love, was more than willing to reprise her role in the old conversation.

"You should talk to your mother about how you feel. Maybe she's noticed some things too."

"I can't..." Ami said, staring at the floor as she walked a little behind the other Senshi down the hall, "she's so different now..."

Standing in front of her door, Makoto arranged the shopping bags all together in her left hand and pulled out her keys. "Try anyway," she said as she unlocked her apartment. "She's still your mother. Takeru doesn't take that away." Makoto stopped with her door half open when she realised Ami wasn't next to her. She looked down the hall, spotting the other girl a few feet away standing in front of another apartment door. "What are you doing?"

Ami didn't respond, instead gingerly taking the other door's handle in her grasp. She tried to open it, but unsurprisingly a locked door wouldn't budge.

"Um, I live in this one," Makoto said, nonplussed. She was really beginning to worry for Ami now.

"This is his apartment."

Makoto blinked, recalling that Takeru apparently lived a few doors down from her in the same complex. Inside, the Senshi of Thunder cursed at herself for bringing Ami up to her place in this direction, past that door. Of course Ami would remember that detail.

Ami's head turned to Makoto. "Can you pick the lock?"

Makoto squinted in incredulity, her brow scrunching. 'Pick the lock'? Sometimes Makoto wondered what picture Ami had of her in her mind. Get into a couple of fights at school and another dozen in rumour and all of a sudden you were labelled a yankee straight out of a manga. The past never let you go.

"No," Makoto said, keeping to a rather lenient response. Ami was under a lot of stress after all. "And what if he is in there?"

Ami turned back to the door, staring at it. "He's not..." she said at length. "He's with my mother."

Makoto didn't know how the Senshi of Wisdom could be so sure-Ami had been with the brunette most of the day to *avoid* seeing if her mother was in Takeru's company. "I guess you could ring the buzzer to find out..." What were they doing even talking about this still? "Ami, come on. Let's go inside and you can help me cook." She raised and shook the grocery bags as if they were a bell to snap Ami out of her psychosis and summon the other teen to her.

Ignoring Makoto, Ami hesitantly lifted her index finger towards the apartment's buzzer.

"Ami!" Makoto hissed across the hall, her voice dropping to a guilty whisper. What if Takeru *was* in there? "I wasn't serious!" With mention of picking locks, somehow Makoto didn't believe Ami intended to talk out her difficulties with Takeru if he did answer the door. "Think about this! Do you want to face Takeru if he's inside?"

Ami jerked away from the buzzer's button at the last moment, batting her eyes as she remembered good sense.

Makoto breathed a sigh of relief. She was all for Ami working out her concerns with her mother's boyfriend, but the blue haired girl obviously wasn't nearly ready for that yet. A fresh encounter with Takeru was drama the Water Senshi did not need right now. "Come on."

Ami breathed a sigh as well and mercifully left Takeru's door in favour of Makoto's.

Once inside her apartment, Makoto closed the door after them both with some haste. Deciding to shake off Ami's weird behaviour, the taller girl went into the kitchen and began unpacking the groceries. "What are you in the mood for?" she said while Ami sat herself lifelessly on the living room's couch. "The hamachi looks great."

"There's got to be something wrong with him, Makoto," Ami said, making Makoto's heart sink into her stomach. "I thought there might be proof in his apartment. I don't know, some sort of clue to a terrible agenda involving my mother. Unpaid bills, evidence of debt only marriage to a prosperous woman could stymie; photos of other women he's doing this to, a secret girlfriend... or girlfriends." Ami lifted her dejected gaze from the floor to her fellow Sailor Senshi. "As horrible as it sounds, I would be overjoyed to unearth a creepy shrine dedicated to my mother in his closet."

"So... no to the hamachi?" Makoto lamely responded; fish awkwardly perched aloft in one hand.

"You think I'm crazy, don't you," Ami said, shaking her head and lowering her eyes again.

"No, no," Makoto quickly rectified, putting down the fish on the counter.

"It's alright," Ami said. She looked up and smiled, but it wasn't the smile Makoto knew and loved. "I feel crazy. It's just that his apartment is my only lead. It's my only lifeline. If there's anything to find, it has to be there. It *has* to be."

Makoto, full of compassion and pity, left the kitchen and joined Ami on the couch. She put an arm around the other girl, and the grateful Water Senshi leaned into her. "I'm sorry you have to go through this," the Senshi of Courage said softly, her lips brushing against her love's temple. "Parents... they never do what you want, do they."

Ami smiled ruefully, but at least it was genuine this time.

"It's going to be okay," Makoto continued. The comforting words she wished to utter bunched up on her tongue; that her home could be a home to Ami; however she swallowed them back. "It's... going to be okay."

Ami retreated a little from her girlfriend's embrace and raised her head from the other girl's chest. "Thank you, Makoto," she said, yet it sounded as equally convincing as the Senshi of Thunder's reassurance-weak at best.

Makoto closed her green eyes and took a long breath. When she opened them again, all they could see was Ami's face. "I don't know how to pick a lock. But I think I can break one."

Ami's breath caught and her gaze widened. "Are you...?" she began, before she pulled away, wincing. "No. You were right. It would be breaking and entering. I can't have you do this for-"

"It's done," Makoto declared, rising to her feet. "My decision's been made." She grinned down at her love, reaching her hand out. "You can come and be my lookout if you want."

Ami smiled tremulously back, her blue eyes more water than usual. She grasped the Senshi of Courage's hand, letting herself be lifted from the couch.

A handful of minutes later Makoto found herself facing Takeru's apartment door. She glanced down the hall back to her own apartment. Ami was safely tucked away in the doorway, spying on the proceedings from her hidden vantage. They had thought out a quick plan together-Makoto would ring the doorbell. It seemed grossly insufficient now that the brunette was standing here, face-to-face with the 'plan'-however the Senshi of Thunder *was* armed with an excuse for bothering Takeru if he was inside. In that event, Makoto was supposed to say she needed to borrow a cup of milk... or was it a cup of sugar? She needed to borrow something anyway. And if Takeru wasn't inside...?

Makoto cracked her knuckles. Was she really going through with this? It was pretty nuts. Breaking and entering was a whole new level for her. The Senshi of Courage wondered what wild rumours this adventure might spawn. But if anyone saw this she was getting booted out of this apartment complex for sure. Makoto looked back at Ami once more. The blue haired teenager smiled nervously at her. Makoto smiled slightly in return before nodding determinedly. She could count on Ami to watch her back. What Makoto intended to do *was* nuts. But it was for Ami.

Makoto pressed the buzzer and waited. And waited. She pressed it again. The tall girl let herself relax a little bit... before she tensed up again. Takeru wasn't in there. It was on.

The Senshi of Thunder checked both ends of the hallway for anyone happening by. Ami's head swung back and forth too in her door, doing the same. The coast clear, the girls nodded to one another. Makoto grabbed the door handle with one hand, pulling hard. She added her other hand, and more force. She ground her teeth, the muscles in her arms standing out. She brought her leg up, bracing it against the wall next to the doorframe, flexing the extra limb with as much strength as she could muster. Sweat began to bead on her forehead. Her fingers started to hurt, the metal handle's edges biting into the flesh. Her muscles bulged bigger, like thick ropes beneath her skin pulled firm. Plaster flaked off the wall underneath her foot. Her lips peeled back over her clenched teeth, her eyes glared and her brow creased. She could feel the blood madly pump through her, in her arms and legs, in her head, charging her, power in every beat.

All of a sudden Makoto was flying backwards, a loud crack in her ears. She banged her back against the opposite wall, losing her footing and sliding down it onto her behind. Her muscles burned. Her hands stung. The Senshi of Thunder didn't care-Takeru's door was off its frame. Makoto grinned-part relief, part pride.

Makoto was climbing to her feet when Ami rushed to her side. "Are you alright?" the Water Senshi exclaimed, taking the other girl under the arm and helping her the rest of the way upright.

"There was nothing to it," Makoto said with her grin and a pant, out of breath from her feat. "The locks in this building are really shoddy."

Ami stepped up on her tiptoes and kissed her on the cheek. "You're amazing."

At that moment, Makoto felt like she really was.

They walked inside Takeru's place together, Makoto holding the door open for her awed girlfriend. The apartment was a carbon copy of Makoto's; a mirror image that was peculiar to walk in-so familiar, yet so different. Plus it was completely empty.

"No..." Ami breathed, walking dumbfounded into what was, in Makoto's place, the middle of the living room. "No... no..." From room to room she staggered, opening doors and closets and drawers, finding what had greeted the girls at the start-nothing.

The living room didn't have a couch, nor did it have a coffee table or a television. It didn't have anything. The kitchen counters were bare, the cupboards barren, the fridge cleared out. The bedroom, the bathroom-it was the same scene in every room. Just blank walls and too much vacant floorspace; only the broken doorlock lying by itself on the carpet.

"We're too late," Ami lamented, returning to the living room to stare at Makoto, as if the other girl could somehow make it better. Makoto wished she had that power.

"He must have already moved out ahead of the... you know..." the brunette trailed off. Takeru wasn't wasting any time. He was apparently dead set on relocating to his village in Hokkaido, his new girlfriend in tow. Makoto bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Ami."

"This... this doesn't mean anything," Ami said, storming back into what was the bedroom. "There might still be something to be found here!"

"Ami..." Makoto sighed, half in sympathy, half urging her distraught love to give it up. "He doesn't live here anymore."

"But he might have left something behind! Uncollected mail, trash-"

Makoto walked into the bedroom behind Ami, enveloping the smaller girl in her arms, quietening her. "It's time to talk to your mother," the Senshi of Courage said softly into Ami's hair, nuzzling the blue locks.

Ami's rigid body went slack in Makoto's embrace. "I know," she said, her voice small in the empty, cavernous room. "I wanted it not to really be her. I wanted it to not be her choice. It was... my h-hope that it..."

Makoto closed her eyes, holding her love tighter, feeling the other girl's body shudder against her own. "This isn't the end for us," she whispered. This was more than love; they were Sailor Senshi, joined by fate, by their past, by their very souls. "We can be together. We..." It had to be said aloud. Makoto hadn't wanted to presume or pressure, but... it just had to be said. "We can be together always. You can stay with me. Live with me. You don't have to go."

Ami turned; Makoto's encircling arms adjusting with her. The Water Senshi's eyes and cheeks were damp with her namesake, an ocean in her gaze, but a calm one. "Of course, Makoto. I've always known that." Ami smiled, touching her lover's surprised face. "It isn't about me. It's about my mother. She loves... loved... what she does. Next to myself her career was everything to her. She was... my *ideal*. My role model. Who *I* wanted to be. This isn't what I'd imagined her ever doing. This isn't what I'd do in her place."

"You're different people. Different lives," Makoto rationalised. She stroked her fingers through the back of Ami's short hair. "But maybe not so different. I remember a girl who used to study every day, during every free hour. Her homework was done straight away and it was unthinkable for cram school to be blown off. I know a girl now who has changed priorities."

Ami rested her head against the Senshi of Thunder's chest. "That was my-"

"Your choice," Makoto finished for her. "And because of me. Because of us."

Ami was quiet, breathing softly over her love's heartbeat. "I'm going to miss her, when she's gone," the teenager finally whispered.

"I know," Makoto whispered back, memories in her faraway gaze. "I know."

* * *

"This is where you work?" Hotaru asked doubtfully, shying away from a leaning stack of dusty boxes and ancient advertisement catalogues.

Ahead of her, Minako spun around on her heel to face the younger girl. "Yeah, this is what all the good talent agencies do. Like, to keep it on the down low. If their offices were in broad daylight crazy fans would be staked out outside twenty-four seven!"

"M-Mm..." Hotaru nodded, still seeming pretty dubious.

Minako grinned and walked back to the cute Outer Senshi, taking her by one thin arm. "It's not much further. Uh, try not to breathe in the air here, okay? I think there's still asbestos."

Hotaru bit her lower lip and emitted a little peep as Minako yanked her onwards deeper into the decrepit building, the blonde dodging through the garbage gauntlet with confidence only familiarity could bring towards Starlight Talent's door. The Senshi of Rebirth wasn't the Senshi of Time, but she was all Minako had encountered at the Outer Senshis' Victorian mansion this morning. One Outer Senshi was better than none, the blonde had accepted at the time. And Hotaru was cool... sort of, in her own special way. Minako had wanted to drag Setsuna out of the house to see her new agent and workplace; a puny pretence to just touch base with the distant woman given that it was Time's Keeper who had set up the whole management arrangement with Mr. Kats-Hotaru had been dragged out as her stand-in. With the Singles Club hangouts having fallen on the wayside for Minako recently in favour of her nights *under* the town rather than on it, the girl was starting to think her casual affair with the eldest Sailor Senshi had been something pulled out of her typically overactive imagination-she just never saw Setsuna anymore. Was this how it ended? Was her and Setsuna's... whatever it was... going to simply die the slow death of neglect, like it had never been? If Minako didn't know better she'd think Setsuna was making herself hard to find on purpose. Was this how Setsuna did breakups? Minako was aware they didn't have much, but she felt whatever it was they did have between them deserved a proper burial if it really was done and dusted.

The Senshi of Beauty rapped her knuckles against the shabby office door and let herself inside, her sunny visage betraying no hint of her broiling thoughts to Hotaru. "Yo, I'm here for my one o'clock!" Minako announced, feeling very professional.

"Minako," Akari stated in her customary despondent tone, the dreary girl lounging in a chair with her feet up on a messy desk, staring vacantly at the office's buzzing television. "You're on time." She picked up a mandu from the box of them in her lap, stuffing half of the dumpling into her mouth before sinking her teeth in.

"That's right! Your top client is *always* punctual!" Minako beamed. She was scheduled for a shoot this afternoon. And she didn't even have to don bikinis for this one-it was underwear. It would be nice to have a change of pace.

"What?" Akari said, her blunt incredulity muffled by her mouthful of mandu. "No you're not." She banged the television's remote loudly on the edge of the desk, all too aware of how finicky it was, and after the violent persuasion began flipping through channels.

"Er, I'm not your top client or I'm not always punctual?"

"Both. Wait. You are our only client, so technically you are the top."

"See Hotaru?" Minako smiled, nudging the other girl with her elbow. "I'm Starlight Talent's *top* client!"

"It looks the same as outside," Hotaru said, intently appraising from floor to ceiling her new surroundings and the similar, if a tiny bit more orderly, piles of papers and miscellaneous junk.

"Oh, who's this?" Akari perked up, dropping the other half of her mandu back in the box and tossing it and the remote on the desk. She twirled her chair around and got up to greet Hotaru. She bent down to the young girl's level, offering her a slight smile. "Aren't you adorable. What's your name?"

"Hotaru Tomoe," the soft-spoken Senshi of Rebirth said, inclining her head bashfully. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too. I'm Akari. I'm in charge of..." She frowned and stood upright, surveying the office herself as Hotaru had. "...Practically everything in this place. I'm meant to be part-time. I was supposed to be in college by now. My parents think I'm an OL in a big-"

"That's great! So Hotaru is on a 'ride-along' with me today," Minako broke in, before Akari's dirge crushed all their spirits. "She's going to see what it takes to be a high-level talent!"

"I'm pretty sure this shoot isn't select enough to attract the elite models."

"I meant *me*, Akari, okay? *Me*," Minako deadpanned. "*I'm* the high-level talent."

"Oh. Right." Akari smiled at Hotaru again. "She's the best," she said unconvincingly, gesturing to the Senshi of Beauty with her thumb. "Are you interested in the biz?"

"Umm... Minako said it would be fun," the Outer Senshi recited in a voice that made it sound very not fun.

"It *will* be fun!" the blonde declared, patting Hotaru on the shoulder. "Trust me, okay? It'll be a blast. You'll get to ogle pretty people in their underwear and everything."

"I will?" Hotaru breathed nervously. "Will people see me in my underwear?"

"No, Hotaru. Just sit over there. There's mandu," Minako said, ushering the difficult girl onwards. "Where's Mr. Kats?" she asked Akari once Hotaru had wandered off.

Akari shifted uneasily, dragging her feet along the floor. "I'm not sure when or if he'll make it into the office. He called me early this morning and told me the police contacted him, said he should come in. It's... probably about Eiji."

"Yeah..." Minako murmured, looking aside. "Probably..." The Inner Senshi already knew that it was. Tuxedo Kamen's, her and the other Sailor Senshi's findings in Tokyo's deepest sewers had finally trickled down the city's channels to the media. Not the truth of them of course; nothing that could shift the status quo and panic the public. The report hadn't been much more than a blurb; a small article buried in the back of her father's morning paper-which the girl had 'appropriated' when he hadn't been paying attention at the breakfast table. It pretty much boiled down to the destitute foolishly seeking shelter in the sewer tunnels; condemned tunnels that were prone to 'cave-ins'... anybody could write the rest. Society's lowest had brought their horrible end on themselves, it was not the city's fault, blah-blah-blah. Minako supposed she should be grateful for any media commentary-Rei's angle on the whole thing hadn't even been remarked upon; how the missing clubbers out of Roppongi were tied to the vanishing homeless, that the disappearances were not separate occurrences but a collective incident. Minako questioned, though with little wondering, if the abducted clubbers would ever get a mention in the headlines again, or if, with this result, they would fade from the public eye and in turn from the public's mind, another casualty of the status quo. She knew which she'd put money on.

Nonetheless, to Minako, what had been said-what would be done-was enough. Recognition for the youmas' victims, for the victims' families, is what mattered. Closure for everyone. Natsuna had come through, as the Senshi of Love had counted on. The Superintendent-General would tend to the tragic affair properly; she would do the right thing by the dead regardless of what was reported and see to it that their remains made a final journey to their loved ones. In the end, there wasn't much else Minako could hope for.

"I pray they found him safe and well."

"Me too," Minako said, haunted by visions from the sewers. She shifted her gaze back to Akari and smiled hopefully, though it never touched her eyes.

The office door shot open behind the pair, Souda almost walking into the girls. "Ah, Minako! I'm taking you in for today's shoot!"

Untouched by his enthusiasm, Akari jerked her head in the young man's direction. "Souda's acting manager while Mr. Katsuyori is absent. Not me of course. Not me, who has worked in this agency for-"

"Dogs biting you again? I think I see a bruise," Souda teased, waving a pointed finger at Minako's neck. "Maybe they are punching you now! Airbrushing will never go out of style as long as you're around."

"I do... a lot of... um, *sports*," Minako gracelessly justified.

"Cool. What are you into?"

"Um, running... and sometimes jumping..."

"...Right," a bemused Souda said, flicking his floppy brown hair out of his eyes with a snap of his head. He was so dreamy. It was not easy for Minako to keep her thoughts straight near him. Why was he employed by Starlight Talent, when the agency could totally be *representing* him with a face and body like that? Didn't Mr. Kats see untapped talent when it was right in front of him?

The blonde's mobile phone chirped and the girl rushed to pull it from her pocket, thankful for the interruption and the breathing space it afforded. There was a text message from Natsuna waiting for her on the screen. "The tip was good. Kisses!" it read. Minako grinned down at her phone, her thumb hovering over the keypad, rapidly composing a perky response. She and Big Sis had to get together again soon. It would be a shame if the end of the missing persons' case was also an end to their reunion.

"A good luck message from your boyfriend?"

Minako looked up to see Souda watching with interest. She shook her head, returning her attention to her phone to fire off the reply text. "No, just... I don't have a boyfriend."

"Ah..."

Akari suddenly sucked on her teeth and briskly walked away from the pair, shaking her own head herself. She could be so moody.

"So..." Souda said, looking away to pick at the flaking wall paint beside the office's door, "Minako... after the shoot, I can take you to lunch."

"That's okay, you don't have to do that," Minako said, anxiously waving off the idea with a hand and a nervous smile. She glanced over her shoulder at the desks where Hotaru was tentatively testing a mandu's flavour with tiny bites, Akari observing the experimentation with amusement. "Hotaru and I will-"

"No, please. It's more than alright," Souda insisted, turning from the peeling paint to look at the blonde. "We can hang out and stuff. You're new and we should get to know each other better."

"You are aware you're hitting on a *High* *Schooler*...?" Akari yelled from her roost on the edge of a desk.

"I'm not hitting on anybody!" Souda immediately yelled back in frustration, with such alacrity it was as if he had been anticipating his colleague's intrusion. "Mr. Katsuyori would do the same! I'm just doing what he would do if he was here right now!"

"Akari, you can come too," Minako called, hoping to placate the snarky girl.

"She has to stay here and man the office," Souda quickly explained with a hard glare across the room to his co-worker.

"Didn't our last talent quit because of exactly this?" Akari retorted.

"That's a lie and you know it! Hanako was emotionally disturbed! Who gets a restraining order just to get out of a date?" Souda squealed.

"This is a date?" Minako cut in a little breathlessly, catching the last of the rant.

"Um..." the young man dithered timidly, glancing at the crumbling paint again. Did he have ADD or OCD or some other acronym? The Senshi of Love's parents once thought she'd had one of those. Maybe Souda just had the energy of youth, like she did. "Do you... want it to be...?"

Minako blinked, seriously weighing the question. Did she? Souda was hot, that was for sure. Just her type of guy. Just her type... Or what *had* been her type. Where did mature, beautiful, sophisticated women fit alongside young, pretty, athletic studs? Where did Setsuna fit?

The Senshi of Love looked behind her again at Hotaru. The Outer Senshi was watching her, along with Akari. Everyone was waiting for her. Everyone wondered. Not only here, but her other friends too; every Senshi, Inner and Outer. Everyone waiting and wondering to see what Minako would do... to see who the Love Goddess's heart would choose. Saijou Ace's last words clung to her in these moments. Whenever there was the chance of falling in love, Minako's thoughts conjured the image of her first love. Kaitou Ace, Danburite, Adonis-he had held many identities, but he would always be Saijou Ace to the Senshi of Love, the man who had tried to change one wheel of fate for himself, for a Princess, for love, for *her*. The girl's first love was long dead and gone, dust together with the Dark Agency, both destroyed by the hand of Sailor V-her own hand. Before he had passed, with his remaining breath, with affection instead of bitterness, Saijou Ace had prophesised her dilemma; that riddle between love and duty... and he had solved it for her. 'Your love will be hopeless for all eternity.' There wouldn't be any storybook romance for the Senshi of Love and Beauty, only unflinching duty to that one precious person-the Moon Princess. Saijou Ace had believed he had relieved Minako of a burden, and in that space and time long ago in her past the leader of the Guardian Senshi had thought so too... yet now... with every new lonely year gone by, with almost every friend knowing affection she never had... Had it been a final fortune uttered, or a lasting curse?

Minako was always falling in love but was never in love. She was always wise to the ways of the heart but never wise to her own. Was her heart incapable of real, true love like everyone around her? Was that the irony of the Senshi of Love? Was that what Saijou Ace had seen? Or was she forever blind to finding the right person, blind to seeing the Adonis and his wealth of feeling before the Kunzite and his dearth?

Everyone was waiting and wondering. Minako was too.

"Minako?"

"Sorry," Minako said to Souda with a forced grin, "I zoned out there. I was a world away."

"Our...?"

"Date?" the blonde finished for him. "Yeah. Sure. Why not." The Inner Senshi glanced over her shoulder yet again to her young companion, face a mask. Hotaru was looking back at her. Would she say anything to Setsuna? Did the Keeper of Time already know of this... disloyalty?

"That's great!" Souda exclaimed, clapping his hands together briefly, positively overjoyed.

"My pal Hotaru and I can't wait," Minako said with a somewhat sly smirk. It wasn't like she was going to ditch a friend for the sake of a date, even if it was with a hunky hunk. Plus it would be funny to see how he would handle the extra, underaged company.

"Right..." a sedate Souda said, brought crashing a hundred miles to the ground, "Hotaru..." With a queasy expression he looked over to the young girl who had finally decided she didn't much like mandu, pushing the heavily nibbled dumpling back into the box.

Guilt crept into Minako. It was Setsuna in her thoughts now. But it was okay to play the field. It was what the Senshi of Love did. It was what her heart did. Always seeking someone to fill it, always wanting more. Always left empty.

* * *

Rei pulled open a shoji screen door, the Hikawa Jinja's courtyard stretching out before her. Cool fresh air and the cawing of a pair of ravens welcomed her-as well as the yelp of an ambushed man. The sharp crack of the door hitting the wall behind him startled Yuuichirou, who was sitting on the stone steps that climbed up to the main building's veranda. He flailed wildly for a second, knocking over the broom propped next to him and almost sending himself tumbling from his roost.

"Lunch is about ready," Rei notified him, unmoved by his clowning around. They had lived together too long for his behaviour to surprise her now.

The flustered Yuuichirou scrambled to pick up his broom from the courtyard's paving stones, clasping it to his chest as if it were a shield instead. "I was just taking a-! I mean I was going to get back to-!" he guiltily stammered.

Rei smirked faintly and walked across the veranda, taking a seat next to the shaggy man. Yuuichirou leaned away from the miko, as if fearing some sort of assault, verbal or otherwise. Likewise, he had lived with Rei a long time. "The grounds look good," Rei remarked favourably instead, her amethyst gaze moving over the clean courtyard.

Yuuichirou started to relax, albeit tentatively, slow to right himself on the steps or close the distance between them. He initially still kept the broom, but a few seconds later returned it to its former perch. "I thought you'd be hanging out with Usagi."

"She'll be over. She's supposed to be seeing me for more training to become a miko... but she'll probably become just an extra plate at lunch." Rei smiled wistfully, but also indulgently, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. It wasn't like she'd never saw it coming. "I think she's bored with it now. Being a miko like I am was just Usagi's latest flavour of the month. She probably felt like she was at the beginning, but I knew she wasn't really serious about it." She turned to grin at Yuuichirou. "She doesn't have the passion for this stuff like you."

Yuuichirou hesitantly grinned back, scratching at one stubbly cheek with a finger. "Eh, I don't think I'm much better than Usagi." He glanced down at himself, at his traditional garb. "I was just working here to impress a girl too."

Rei laughed, looking back out across the courtyard. "It's more than that for you now though."

"R-Right..." Yuuichirou said, looking away towards the jinja's grounds as well.

"You've really taken to it. It's become your life. I'm proud of you, Yuuichirou. I know my Grandpa is too."

It took him a moment of gawking at Rei in something close to disbelief, a long moment that nearly had the Fire Senshi take offense, but eventually the young man genuinely smiled. "Thanks, Rei. Even my parents are happy with me for once. It's like I've finally done something right with my life." Yuuichirou looked over his shoulder, up at the Hikawa Jinja's main building. "Like I've found where I belong."

"Yeah," Rei replied. "I know what you mean."

They sat there in the peace and quiet for several minutes, simply enjoying where they were.

"I've always liked Usagi," Yuuichirou admitted out of the blue, breaking the silence.

Rei frowned at him.

"Not in that way!" Yuuichirou quickly made clear. "I just mean, she's a nice person. Easygoing."

"Mm..." Rei hummed absently in agreement.

"I... never thought Usagi would... you know... be the one for you," Yuuichirou awkwardly continued. "N-Not because she's a... a sh-she. I mean, that was a shock, but..." He snuck an uncomfortable look at Rei, shuffling his behind on the steps. "What I mean is you and Usagi fought-fight-all the time."

Rei smirked. "I've heard people mention that before." She shrugged, and then suddenly smirked wider. "Where there's friction there's heat."

"It's just... w-we fight all the time..."

Rei's face slowly fell under Yuuichirou's words, the raven-haired girl realising what he was really trying to say. Why not him. Why not him, he who had stayed by her side all this time, all these years, under the same roof, sharing the same home; loyal, dedicated, Yuuichirou? Why not the man who was always there in front of her eyes, forever her sworn friend, her willing foil, her unshakable rock? Why had their friction not created heat? Why the passion for Usagi and not for Yuuichirou?

Rei could have opted for the easy excuse-Usagi was a girl and Yuuichirou wasn't. It would be a lie, but a convenient, comfortable lie for both of them. She could say that Usagi was her best friend, while Yuuichirou was... still a friend, yet simply something less than Usagi, and never anything more. She could crush him, coldly explaining there was just nothing between them and there had never been any hope, that she could never feel for him what he felt for her. She could say more than she should; confess to a history between her and a Princess from long ago, to a destiny changed and a love fought for. She could narrate the saga, making him understand the depth of feeling she had for her Princess, that it wasn't a random attachment in the least but something greater, something monumental, something magical and worth believing in. Or selfishly or selflessly Rei could say nothing at all, leaving Yuuichirou his dream, leaving hope however small and false-leaving the man at her side, still loyal, still dedicated, still her Yuuichirou.

"In another life, Yuuichirou."

Yuuichirou smiled softly, understanding, and Rei knew it had been the right thing to say. No hope and yet hope. Nevertheless, it was exactly what a hurt man had needed to hear.

"When I first heard, about you and... I thought it was your other friend, Minako," Yuuichirou commented a minute later. He turned his head to look at Rei's incredulous face when he was answered with only silence. "You guys are like sisters or something, you know?"

The Fire Senshi's grimace remained unconvinced. "You're kidding, aren't you? Usagi and Minako are the sisters; we're nothing alike."

Yuuichirou squirmed under the girl's brash skepticism. "I don't know. That's just what I thought back then."

Rei shook her head, ridding herself of the man's strange view. He just didn't know Minako.

The miko sighed, remembering the real news that had brought her out here besides lunch. Yuuichirou needed to be told. "It's going to get tight around the jinja from now on."

"What?"

Rei sighed again, more heavily. Dwelling on it over and over was not great for her mood. "Donations are the Hikawa Jinja's lifeblood," she said, trying to explain it in a manner airheaded Yuuichirou would easily comprehend, "and we lost our biggest supporter last night."

"It's... just one dude, right? There's lots of other donations... right?"

Rei shifted her gaze away from Yuuichirou. It was hard to keep looking him in that scruffy puppy dog face of his. She felt guilty for some reason, as if she was revealing to him that there was no Santa Claus. "My Grandpa won't admit it, but this place needed that money. We depend on charity-in this world, that's a set up doomed from the start."

"But we get lots of visitors! I see them every day! It's got to add up!" Yuuichirou avidly tried to assure her, or perhaps reassure himself.

"How many really, Yuuichirou? And how many give? It's hard enough for people out there without them giving up parts of their salary to us," a grim-faced Rei rationalised. She remembered the bodies in the sewers. Homeless men and women, driven from their once cosy lives to die alone and unsung.

"How did we lose this guy?' Yuuichirou jumped on instead. "We could talk to him, you and I, try to get back his-!"

"It's not going to happen!" Rei barked over the young man, loudly and firmly, squashing his words and his hopes. She needed to tell him the whole story. "My father... he was the supporter. I didn't know before last night. We... got into an argument. We..." The Senshi of Fire shook her head roughly-she was not going through all this again. "My father is... not a good person. Unlike you, my parent is not happy with me and never will be. The money is gone and it's not coming back. But we don't need it, alright? I never thought about it before, how the jinja ran, how we stayed afloat, but I'll figure something out. I promise."

"Rei..." Yuuichirou breathed, staring down at the steps, the cogs in his mind turning. "Your father... That's why your Grandpa was so worried about you going out last night."

"Yeah... It gets worse. But just for me, not for the Hikawa Jinja. It will survive. I'll make sure of it."

"'Worse'? What? What is it?" Yuuichirou fearfully asked, grabbing one of the miko's arms.

Rei closed her eyes for an instant. Her grandfather couldn't know... but Yuuichirou? He was practically family too. He *was* family. But he was also a friend, her rock. If the miko could tell anyone, she could tell Yuuichirou, and trust him with it.

"My father... he didn't just cut off the Hikawa Jinja. He cut me off too. He stopped paying for my school tuition. I have to leave High School."

"What...?" Yuuichirou gasped again. "No, Rei... you can't..." he moaned, shaking the girl by the arm a little. "You can't leave! I dropped out, and believe me; no corporation wants you after that. I was a freeter most of my life and it sucked... *hard*! I did have a ton of free time for my music, and that was sweet, but..." He trailed off to scratch at his tatty beard, like he had forgotten why his period as a freeter had been a bad thing.

Rei on the other hand, recalling the state of Yuuichirou's 'music', didn't have to be persuaded becoming a freeter sucked. But until slaying monsters paid the bills, she saw little other option.

"It's okay. It's for the best, anyway," the Senshi of Fire said, almost believing it herself. "Grandpa and the jinja will need money. I need to find work and school would just get in the way." Maybe Setsuna or Minako could hook Rei up with something worthwhile. Doing some modelling jobs had to be better than busting her butt in a convenience store seven days a week for a pittance. She began to wonder if Setsuna's offer still stood... before expecting it would only expire for her when time itself did.

"I can't believe your own father would turf you like that... That is so wrong!" Yuuichirou said, as indignant as a laidback guy like him could be. "I didn't even know you *had* a father. I thought it was just your Grandpa who looked after you."

"It is," Rei was quick to remark. "My father... he might as well be dead." She smiled bitterly. "It doesn't stop him haunting me though."

"I gotta do something too... I'll get a job too!" Yuuichirou passionately vowed.

"No. We still need someone here to lend Grandpa a hand running the jinja. Just promise me you'll keep your mouth shut around him. He doesn't know a lot of what I've told you-and he doesn't need to."

"Right... Sure," Yuuichirou swore, nodding. "Say no more. But... I need to do something *more*. I'll talk to my parents! I know I can get them to help!"

Rei looked at him, surprised that she hadn't thought of that... then remorseful to have considered relying on Yuuichirou's family. His family were wealthy-vacation-home-in-the-mountains-kind of wealthy, perhaps even compete-with-her-father kind of wealthy. It could work. It could be the answer. Yet she couldn't ask it. She just couldn't. It didn't sit right with her. She couldn't use her relationship with Yuuichirou like that... But she really wanted to.

"No, Yuuichirou," the miko sighed wearily, feeling as if she had been teased with a hope just to have it dashed. "It's nice of you, but-"

"You said it yourself," the young man excitedly argued, "this place depends on charity! My folks can be pretty damn charitable!"

Rei was sure they could be, having put up with Yuuichirou's drifting for so long. Any other freeter of his calibre would have starved to death long ago. "Yuuichirou..." she started.

"Rei, please!" Yuuichirou exclaimed, seizing the girl with both her arms to face him. "Let me do this. This... This is my home too."

Through his dishevelled bangs, Rei looked into his earnest eyes. In them she saw his conviction. She saw his fire. He would not be talked down. The Senshi of Fire and Passion couldn't prevent a resigned smirk spreading across her visage-resigned, and grateful. "Thank you, Yuuichirou. Without you, I... I'm indebted to you. I'll never forget this."

"You don't need to talk like that, Rei," Yuuichirou said, grinning. "As long as I'm here I'll never let the Hikawa Jinja crash and burn! I can ask about paying for your school tuition too!"

"No," Rei shook her head. "No, you've done enough," she continued, seeing Yuuichirou about to launch into protest. "More than enough." She leaned in, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, giving him the warmest hug she could. "Thank you."

"I'll never let you down, Rei," Yuuichirou said softly, gingerly holding her around her waist.

"Come on," the miko prompted, pulling away. "Grandpa is probably wondering where..."

Something was wrong.

"Rei? Are you okay?"

There was something... something off. It skittered over her senses, taunting her memory. It was close by. Closer now. Within the Hikawa Jinja grounds. Something Rei hadn't felt for... It couldn't be. It *couldn't*...!

* * *

Faced with her apartment's door, Ami paused a second. She was ready for this. She was finally ready. It wasn't what she wanted; her mother effectively giving up a career in surgery, moving to another island-to a sleepy village to tend to children with the sniffles and elderly folk who had taken a tumble off their front step. It was not Ami's idea of paradise. But everyone's paradise was different. Everyone's ideal was their own... even when that person was an ideal herself. Ami would always look up to her mother-nothing would change that, not a change in career direction, not a change in living arrangements, not even a change of heart. Her mother would always be the doctor Ami aspired to become, and the woman she hoped to grow into. Saeko Mizuno would always be her mother. It was with that conviction that Ami opened the apartment door-no longer her apartment, no longer her home or her mother's. But the girl was okay with that.

The Senshi of Water walked inside, taking off her shoes for her slippers. The apartment was still and quiet, and for a moment Ami thought it empty-it came with a jerk of surprise when she saw Takeru lounging on the breakfast bar in the kitchen, as still and quiet as the rest of the apartment. He watched her come in and smiled; one knee against his chest and his other leg sprawled over the counter. Ami's mother would never approve of that treatment of her furniture. At least, not the mother Ami had known. He even had his shoes on.

Ami reminded herself that she didn't have to like him. Only for her mother's sake, she had to be at peace with him.

"Where's my-"

"Your mother?" Takeru finished for her, his crisp voice snapping into hers. "Gone. The hospital called her in. They hold her on a tight leash." Ami noticed there was a red apple in his hand, the forearm propped over his lifted knee. He brought it to his mouth, tearing a big bite loose with a crack that shot through the room. "Tighter than mine," he added through his chews and with a smirk, a comment no doubt supposed to be humorous. "I wanted to keep Saeko here. Her sense of duty to her job is strong."

"Oh. How long ago was she paged?" Ami asked, feeling wrong-footed, as if she had stepped into someone else's apartment. True, it wasn't her home anymore, yet it felt no longer familiar at all.

"Not long," Takeru said, taking another crackling bite of his apple. "No matter. I've been looking forward to spending some time with you, just us by ourselves."

"M-Me too," Ami went with, albeit hesitantly. "I don't believe we have really talked, or gotten to know and understand one another yet."

"I doubt you could," Takeru quickly remarked, twisting his apple in his hand to a more fleshy part. "Understand one another, I mean."

The Senshi of Wisdom blinked, puzzled by the man's response. "I... We haven't tried... If given the chance, I'm confident-"

"You didn't then. You won't now," Takeru said, crunching into the apple again. He stared at the fruit afterwards. "I'd forgotten this. Simple pleasures..."

"I-I'm sorry if I gave the impression that I... that I was less than welcome to you before," the blue haired girl pressed on, struggling to keep a hold on the conversion. "It was only my concern for my mother coming out. She's the only family I have."

Takeru turned his head to her; a minute tick of the neck. He smiled. "I know."

A chill ran through Ami. That smile. She'd seen it before, many occasions before, every day Takeru had been over. It wasn't a friendly smile. It wasn't her imagination. There was something beneath the surface. Only just below, wanting to come out. For the first time Ami felt fear being under that smile. She felt fear in her own home. This *was* still her home, or had been until *he* had entered her and her mother's lives.

"I... I'll wait for her in my room," Ami said, her voice almost hushed. "I have... schoolwork."

She went to her sanctuary, shutting her bedroom door behind her, feeling she had left Makoto too soon. But Ami had to wait for her mother, especially with Takeru there waiting for her too. Her mother could be back at any time after answering a call page. The Senshi of Wisdom didn't trust to leave her alone with Takeru, not any longer. She had to be here. She *should* have been here every moment *he* had been here.

Ami fumbled for her mobile phone, needing to hear Makoto's voice, needing to hear reason-that it was all in her head; that everything wasn't as it seemed; that there was nothing amiss. Because right now, Ami was in another universe.

"Calling the girlfriend?"

Ami fumbled her phone out of her hands and onto her bedroom floor. She spun around and took an involuntary step back, Takeru standing in her room's doorway, the door open to the young man and his intruding whim.

"What are you doing in here?" Ami demanded, although it sounded less a demand and more a wheeze.

"It's our alone time," Takeru reminded her. He knelt down and picked up the girl's phone, that smile on his lips.

"That's-" Ami began, reaching out to take it from him.

"Your mother doesn't know about you yet," Takeru spoke over her, looking down at her shiny blue mobile phone in his hand. "What you are."

Ami just stared at him. For an instant she thought he was referring to her Sailor Senshi calling, but, mind scrambling, she quickly heard his opening remark again. He had figured out that her relationship with Makoto... was a *relationship*. The Water Senshi almost wished he had discovered her other secret instead.

"Too wrapped up in her own life to notice, isn't she," the redhead continued, tossing the phone up and down in his hand slightly. "It wasn't hard to see it. You are disciplined around her, and me, but anyone who is really looking can see the signs. You don't have to hug and kiss to look in love."

"I..." Ami breathed-or tried to. Air seemed difficult to force down her throat all of a sudden. "Are you-?"

"Am I going to tell your mother that you're gay? I have to. Perhaps she will be proud of you. Makoto does have some looks. For a mousy wallflower, you have some pull. Makoto is a little manly for my tastes, however you probably like that. You probably need it. To be dominated. To be told what to do. So you don't have to make the tough choices. So you don't have to be brave. So the mouse doesn't ever have to find her voice."

Ami gaped at Takeru, stunned at what was pouring from his mouth. She saw that his hand had become a fist, cracking her phone's plastic.

"Saeko will be so devastated to hear it all. Her only daughter, lost forever. Or she would be if she cared about you anymore." The smile swelled. "She's not your mother anymore. She's a woman, *my* woman. She belongs to me now. She loves me more than you. She wishes you could understand that and stop being such a selfish little bitch about it."

"G-Get out of my room," Ami ordered, still half in shock, but the other half of her outraged at what was being said to her.

"The mouse squeaks!" Takeru sneered, tossing her broken phone aside.

"Get out!" Ami yelled, stepping forward to stand as tall as she could in front of him, even ready to push him out if need be. The Senshi of Wisdom had been right all along about him. She had to warn her mother, she had to-

Ami choked, her body struck stiff. She looked down from Takeru's smiling face at her stomach. There was something sticking out of it. It was dark and jagged, like a roughly hewed crystal shaft-like a blade. Circles of blood soaked through her blouse. She could feel it slick on her skin, running down her leg. And then there was the pain, as sharp as the crystal dagger embedded inside her.

Ami looked back up into the face of a different man, with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, the hate behind them at last unmasked. His clothes had changed with his face, a grey military uniform fastened across his chest. The Inner Senshi had seen everything before; the face, the uniform. She had believed they had survived only in her distant memory. She had believed this foe beaten. She had believed a lot of things about 'Takeru Sakai', about the man before her-but the truth was far, far worse.

Jadeite violently twisted the crystal dagger in Ami's gut, and with a final jerk of his fist broke off the brittle blade inside of the girl.

The pain. Oh, the *pain*! Ami had never felt its like before. She staggered backwards, her legs feeling as if they were barely there underneath her. Her hands went for the oozing wound, instinct commanding her to apply pressure, to stem the blood loss. The serrated shard buried in her flesh wouldn't let her near for long, the pain becoming intolerable agony as every corner of the weapon shifted inside her with her touch, when she moved, with every hitching breath. Her bedroom spun under the torture, her head feeling as if it were flying from her shoulders, the shred of reason still alive in her fevered mind shrieking at her not to pass out. The Water Senshi fell back against her desk, one hand sweeping over it as she fell further, sliding off its edge and landing on the floor as pens and papers rained around her.

Ami, lying on her side, head against the carpet, watched as Jadeite's feet came closer. The toe of his boot pressed ever so slightly against her stomach, pushing on the tip of the crystal-Ami saw stars. An eternity later, her ears ringing from her own scream, she came back to her bedroom floor and the Shitennou standing over her.

"You might feel as if you're close to death," Jadeite spoke, vehemence dripping from every word, "but you don't know that place. You haven't stood on the precipice as I have." He pressed down on Ami's wound once more, the teenager's body shutting down in that moment while all she could do was howl. "The pain will keep you here, with me. I want you alert and listening. I don't want your life... not yet. I just want your *pain*."

Again the boot came down; again Ami wailed her voice hoarse. She had to transform, had to stand, had to fight-however they were distant battle cries, muted by the hot coal in her abdomen. Her vision was all but blinded by her tears, her throat choked with drool, her body curled up atop a pool of her own blood. There was no fight in her. She couldn't even be scared; she could barely string a thought together over the pain.

"How does it feel, to be trapped? Suffering your only companion? It's not even been a minute for you. Try *years*!"

Jadeite kicked the Senshi of Wisdom in her belly, once, twice-over and over. It could have been a dozen. It could have been a hundred times. Ami couldn't count, couldn't exist beyond what was wracking her body, contorting her senses. She only knew it was over when she heard panting above her, and saw the Shitennou's bloody boot in front of her face again.

"What will it be... *Mercury*?" Jadeite said, relishing it as he revealed her alter ego. "You're only female. And the weakest of the Guardians. A mind so sharp, so gifted-and so easily broken." He squatted beside her, his grinning face entering Ami's blurred view. "I often wondered what you'd do, if I gave you the choice I never had. Would you choose to end it if you could? Would you prefer to die than live on like this?" His voice dropped to a whisper. "I think we both know your answer."

Jadeite stood up, a triumphant figure over the Sailor Senshi. "It *can* be your choice. The wound... it will only grow worse. While I would rather you live and suffer-as I have lived and suffered!-you are a passing distraction. I have somewhere else to be. But I leave you with another decision to make. Your mother. Your 'girlfriend'. Which do you love more? A decision of the heart for the Senshi of the mind."

The Shitennou vanished in streaks of black shooting upwards towards the ceiling, erasing the man from Ami's bedroom.

Ami laid there. Seconds, minutes, hours-it could have been anything. She wanted to keep lying there. She wanted to sleep. She wanted to...

Ami gritted her teeth, flopping over onto her back. Her feet against the floor, she pushed with her legs. The carpet slid underneath her as she thrust herself towards the open door. Blood-matted shag mapped her agony-ridden journey, her room a grisly scene, never to be the same. It didn't matter. All that mattered right now was making it to the door.

She reached the doorframe. Panting, calling on every morsel of determination she had, Ami dragged her tortured form up the wooden frame. On her feet she leaned against it, virtually collapsing into it, needing a moment but knowing she didn't have one. Ami understood what Jadeite had meant. She understood his threat. Her mother and Makoto-someone or *somethings* were going to kill them, maybe Jadeite himself. Ami could reach one. Only one. Her mind was frantic and her heart was racing, but she had to think, she had to decide. No, not decide. The Senshi of Wisdom had to *think*. If... if Ami could get them *together*, in the same place...

The teenager went for her watch communicator, the device crackling to life. "This is... this is..." Ami could hardly speak. "Anyone... *everyone*... please listen... Makoto, you have to... get to my mother... at the hospital... Makoto, you have to...! It's... Jadeite he's...!"

Ami blinked down at her wrist through damp eyes. Her communicator squealed, the screen a tempest of static-then the picture faded away into black. Jadeite was jamming the signal!

"No..." Ami sobbed, unaware if any of what she had broadcast had weathered the interference. She feared the worst case. "No...!"

Ami stumbled out of her bedroom, scrambling for the apartment foyer, using the walls to keep her standing. She had to make it to her. If no one else, *Ami* had to make it to her!

* * *

"I wanted to see you as soon as I... woke up. I wanted to look upon you with my *own* eyes. But I knew you'd know. You didn't have that before. It's new in this life, just as you are new. But it's the same life for me. The memories belong to *me*. The emotions to *me*. The betrayal *mine*!

It took patience I didn't think I had, but everything is in place now. I wanted to see your face... one final time."

"Rei, who is this nutter? Listen pal, I don't know where you suddenly popped out of, but this is like, private property... Well it's actually open-to-the-public property, but it's barred to-"

"Yuuichirou," Rei spoke sharply, shutting the man up. She kept her eyes locked to Jadeite's intense stare. *Jadeite*! She had thought him gone with Beryl, a footnote casualty with the Queen's and Metalia's destruction. The Fire Senshi hadn't witnessed his last moments, merely assumed he had had them after his long absence. But absence didn't mean death-Rei should have known that better than most.

"Your face is how I remember it," Jadeite said, standing at the foot of the veranda's steps. He still wore the trademark grey uniform of the Shitennou. There was the disconcerting sight of blood on the right cuff. "*You* are how I remember. Still a woman who can never be at peace. Still chasing what she can't have and forsaking everything she *could* have. Always the absolute with you and nothing as the substitute." He grinned, full of bitterness, showing only a little teeth. He seldom blinked, his blue eyes a storm. "This man here, another sap deluded by you in a long running list."

"Hey!"

"But this life has been lived differently, hasn't it? You have your absolute. I didn't believe it when I saw it. Your disregard of all other suitors, your vow of chastity, your pledge to your 'duty' over everything else. Now I get it. I see it now; now it all makes sense to me. It wasn't honour-your duty was your *love*! That's where the dedication came from! That's where the vows were rooted! Easy words, when spoken by a lovesick heart! If you couldn't have her you'd have no one-the belligerent sentiment of a brat who didn't get her way! You weren't loyal-you were just a lapdog!" Jadeite's hands had become fists, his arms jerking at his sides with his ranting. "I bet you loved playing the martyr. I bet you still revel in that 'loyalty', parading it about as she and everyone around you marvels at your capacity for self-sacrifice. How brave you are. How admirable. How... *romantic* it is. Fools! I bet she drinks the act right up, doesn't she. She fawns all over you and your bravado... like she did for her 'Prince'. The biggest fool of all. After *everything* that happened between our worlds...! How did Endymion take it? How did he take *his* betrayal? Or was he a victim of your act as well, touched by your 'selfless devotion'?" The Shitennou scoffed, shaking his head angrily. His eyes still glared, still burned into the Senshi of Fire and Passion's own. "You'll be cast aside just as he was. Mark my words. That Princess, that *bitch*, is *cursed*! She is the downfall of us all! That you would choose-! That it was-! Perhaps it is *you* who are the biggest fool! She can't love you! She may think she does, but the Moon Princess's love is fickle, and corrosive, and it will ruin you as it did Endymion!"

Rei couldn't grasp even half the craziness Jadeite was spouting. She watched him, stony-faced, as spittle flew past his curled and twisted lips alongside his rage, grasping at least that before her, ghost or not, was a dangerous adversary on the brink of an explosion. And Rei understood the vicious insults against her character and against Usagi's. Jadeite's eyes were a tempest-but Rei's were answering infernos.

A bead of sweat ran down the side of the raven-haired girl's face. Rei was fighting her temper. She was fighting every urge to launch herself at the resurrected Shitennou and rain attack after attack down upon him with everything she had. Why Jadeite was here, *how* he was standing in front of her, years after the fall of the Dark Kingdom-these questions didn't cross her mind. The Senshi of Fire just saw an old enemy needing to be put back into the dirt.

Rei couldn't give into her temper. Everything could go very wrong. This was her home. Yuuichirou was next to her. Her Grandpa was somewhere in the building behind her. One clumsy word, one off move, and Rei might regret it for the rest of her days. A clear, thinking, head was needed. The anger had to be leashed... until it didn't have to be anymore. The Senshi of Fire had put Jadeite down before. She would do it again, just like old times-but *after* she got the people she cared about out of this.

"Like anything you have to say matters to me," Rei said, her amethyst gaze challenging. She had to keep the focus on her. Not a tough task she suspected, from witnessing Jadeite's fixated demeanour. The girl would use *his* anger, *his* loss of control, against him. "Like *you* matter. The world's moved on. *We've* moved on. No one says your name. No one cares to. Your time is long over. You're a relic, trivial history that should have stayed buried."

"Still full of that fire..." Jadeite sneered with a patronising grin. "Still a little girl who wields it."

"You didn't know me then. You *really* don't know me now. Or any of my friends," Rei retorted, almost snarling before she caught herself. Her mind furiously worked, wading through the fog of her rising temper. The miko couldn't sense anything abnormal in the Hikawa Jinja except the Shitennou's presence. His... aura... was not like a youma's; it wasn't a glaring blotch on the psyche. It wasn't right, not the flatline an everyday human being's was, yet it wasn't specifically wrong either. It even felt... familiar. It wasn't the familiarity of having sensed Shitennou before when Rei was younger either; it was a familiarity in her soul, as though the aura was fitting for the man facing her. At any rate, Jadeite had come alone-he remained the egotistical screw up he had always been. "I'm not the girl in the past. I'm the girl *from* the past. I'm older. I'm stronger. We all are. *Her* most of all." Rei's eyes narrowed just a bit. "It was a mistake coming alone. You should have brought an army with you. You still haven't learned."

"I have learned. I thought it would be you," Jadeite said, and Rei believed she saw something other than rage and resentment in the Shitennou for once. They were still there of course, fierce and nasty; however emotion ran deeper in the man, touching something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. "I thought you, at least... But you're the same as everyone else. The same as Endymion. You didn't care to... to remember." Suddenly Jadeite's features warped into another face of abject hate. "I was just another one of your *saps*. You've moved on. You have a life. You have a family. *You*. *Have*. *Everything*!"

Rei's eyes bolted open. Usagi was in trouble. She could feel it, feel *her*; feel her Princess's fear. It wasn't part of her sixth sense, it wasn't a honed instinct, it wasn't a gut feeling-it touched deeper than everything, arrived with no explanation, had origins nowhere. She just *knew*.

Rei looked to where she felt herself being pulled, powerless to resist, her head turning and her body aching to follow suit. She broke Jadeite's stare, instead staring into the trees towards some unknown destination, every second she failed to close the distance wrenching her insides a little further. Usagi needed her. The *Moon* *Princess* needed her.

"This is... this is... Anyone... *everyone*... please listen..."

"Do you... Do you hear Ami?" Yuuichirou said, flailing his head from side-to-side, mystified. "I swear I hear her voice."

"Makoto, you have to... get to my mother... at the hospi-"

Rei's watch communicator emitted a high-pitched screech before shutting down prematurely. The girl unconsciously laid her hand over its face and tore her gaze away from the trees and her Princess and the calling. It hadn't been much, but Ami's garbled, dying message effectively announced a call to arms. Rei and Usagi weren't the only Senshi in Jadeite's shadow-nor was it only Senshi.

Jadeite slowly smirked at Rei as she met his eyes once more, the Shitennou picking up on the Sailor Senshi's grisly insight. It was cold, and malicious, and full of satisfaction. "...Where's your 'grandfather'?" he said through his smile.

Rei sat still for a moment longer, then in a burst of motion reached across Yuuichirou, snatching up his broom. "Yuuichirou-!" She twisted her hips back around, swinging the bamboo broom ahead of her, piling every scrap of momentum she could behind it. "*Run*!"

Jadeite lifted his arm to his head, the broom snapping in half over the limb, pieces flying across the courtyard. His other hand seized a fistful of Rei's hoodie, yanking the girl's face up to his. His rage and hate were fully unmasked in burning eyes and bared, gnashing teeth; his features more monster than man, vengeance everything he was. Rei had a face as well, with fiery eyes and clenched jaw; determination meeting vengeance.

The Shitennou hurled the Senshi of Fire away, the teenager crashing through the shoji screen door and into a Spartan antechamber inside the Hikawa Jinja's main building. Rei tumbled wildly, rolling and sliding over the polished wooden floorboards before settling on her stomach. She looked up and through the ragged hole in the door to witness a panicked Yuuichirou being casually backhanded across the face as Jadeite stormed up the veranda's steps, the resurrected Shitennou not deigning to even glance his way as the other man fell.

Jadeite lashed out at the remnants of the shoji screen, smashing more paper and wood aside as he stepped through the tear. He paused a second to look around the room at its few trappings; old wall scrolls of calligraphy and ink wash paintings. "I always thought it strange that you would find religion," he said, "that you could be devoted to anything more than yourself!"

Rei got to her feet, her right hand open and her Henshin Stick spinning into existence above her palm. "MARS CRYST-!"

The miko felt it first. It was an eruption in her psyche, a splash in a calm lake, a corruption in nature. Rei had a talent for sensing the paranormal, for sensing wrongness... and evil. And this was evil. It wasn't a restless spirit, it wasn't a youma abomination-this was wicked, otherworldly malevolence, evil in a pure form. It's only form. Rei knew what it was. She had felt it before, long ago... and longer still, in another life.

Rei threw herself out of the way as dark energy arced towards where she had stood, electric-like tendrils shooting over the wall like crawling spider-webs. Wherever the wood was touched it seemed to decay, wasting away as if infected with rot, becoming dry and crumbly and flaking onto the floor-the life drained from it.

The energy emanated from Jadeite. A crystal hovered above his hand, narrow and pointed on top and bottom, carved with many smooth faces. There were more. Crystal shards of all shapes and sizes surrounded the Shitennou, caught in orbit around him, some cut like gems, others no more than sharp slivers, but every single one the same colour and clarity. They were almost black, but glowed inside, a dark purplish glow and waxed and waned yet was forever present. The same dark energy that was fired at Rei occasionally sparked between the crystal fragments, little bursts of purple lightning, like static between clouds before the storm.

"Still reliant on trinkets for focus!" Jadeite yelled as he swung his fist at the Senshi of Fire. The crystals moved with him, collecting, overlapping, becoming an extension of his arm; the jagged fragments a blade as they slashed at Rei ahead of his swing.

Rei ducked as the crystals scored the wood over her head-and immediately rolled to the side as another series of shards commanded by Jadeite's other arm ripped across the floor to get her, dislodging splinters from the floorboards. Her senses were afire, the dark energy within the crystals assailing not only her body but her mind-the unearthly power screaming its supernatural and sinister origins inside every synapse. It was a power that wasn't supposed to be; not here, not now, not in this world. Moreover, it went deeper than that-it should no longer have *existed*. It was the energy signature of the Dark Kingdom. It was the essence of Queen Metalia. Sailor Moon had sealed that being-destroyed her. Yet there was no mistaking that dark power alongside Jadeite, the man evidently the last surviving residue of the ancient evil.

The crystals broke off from each other as Jadeite threw his arms out wide, the lumps and shards returning to orbit around the Shitennou-an orbit that grew larger and faster. The crystals spread out, spinning in blur, a lethal whirlwind filling the room. The floor and ceiling was torn, the few vases and ornaments shattered, and wall scrolls and shoji screens were gouged as the tornado raged-with Rei inside it.

Rei dashed through the storm; weaving, ducking, her every reflex firing under the deluge of attacks. But wherever she weaved past one spiked shard another cut into her; wherever she ducked a knot of crystal there was another that beat upon her back. The girl's blood spotted the floorboards, marking her painful route towards the shelter of an adjoining hallway, the Senshi feeling the stings of more and more injuries all over her body. She gritted her teeth as another crystalline hunk glanced off her head, her hair already matted with blood from a clubbing before. The blow staggered her for a moment, just as a stiletto of crystal stabbed into her hand. Rei shrieked, her hand wracked by an involuntary spasm, and she watched in horror as her Henshin Stick fell from her grasp.

The artefact spun across the polished floor almost lost amid the dark energy tempest, but Rei dived after it, instantly abandoning thoughts of seeking refuge. She slid over the floor, body and arm straining, reaching, her fingers of her good hand inches behind the Martian Stick.

Lightning burst into Rei's view and she pulled her hand back as the tendrils consumed her Henshin Stick, sending it on a second spiralling course down the hallway. The miko put her hand in spongy, dead wood where the Stick had been as she leapt up, snatching an ofuda from inside her hoodie. She twirled in midair, a horizontal somersault, her outstretched left arm flinging the ward at Jadeite partway into her three-hundred-and-sixty degree spin. "Akuryou Taisan!"

"Your trick won't work a second time!" Jadeite scoffed as the ofuda began its voyage through his roiling crystal sea. It was hit again and again by the razor sharp shavings, the ward showing its true colours as a mere piece of paper, becoming tattered with every fresh strike. Finally Jadeite commanded a crystal dagger to spear the ofuda from the air, impaling it and altering its path into a wall. Slowly, starting where the crystal pinned the ward, the paper began to yellow and crack, disintegrating to rot.

"It doesn't have to," Rei spat under her breath as she landed on her feet near the hallway. Her Henshin Stick lay within it, at its centre. She raced down it, free of the Jadeite's dark energy storm, not looking back. Crystals still followed her, one after the other, embedding at her heels and into the surrounding walls and ceiling, the Senshi of Fire relying on instinct and blind luck to dodge between them. Rei had to make it. She had to reach her Henshin Stick. She couldn't keep up the fight without it. She couldn't hope to defend the Hikawa Jinja and her family by herself alone.

Rei screamed as a terrible agony twisted her left calf muscle, dropping her hard onto her knees. The teen scrambled on her hands for a few seconds more before collapsing outright under the pain and the wound, reduced to elbows to move, her shining Henshin Stick a beacon she would not give up on. She knew a crystal blade was in her leg just as one was in her right hand, sapping her strength. But Rei could make it. She *had* to make it! The Henshin Stick was so close. If she could just transform, if she could just set free the fire-!

"What's all th- Rei! What has happened?"

"No..." Rei breathed as her Grandpa's slippers appeared by her head. He knelt down to her battered and bleeding form, shock and concern written in the lines all over his normally jolly face. "Get out... Run!"

Rei's Grandpa looked away from her and down towards the other end of the hall, where Jadeite was. He was already gloating, his arrogance at its peak, his stance triumphant and his features smug. "Die... old man."

Rei wanted to pull herself up, she wanted to take Jadeite's hatred and all it entailed herself; be the shield for the only real family she had left. But her body failed her, her stamina depleted. Dark energy bolts snapped overhead, the smell of ozone reaching the girl's nostrils, and her head snapped with them towards their intended target. If she screamed she couldn't tell-in this moment there was only one person that mattered.

The teenager's grandfather let out a yell and nimbly leapt aside, pressing flat up against the corridor's wall as the lightning passed. "Demon!" he bellowed, hopping back into the middle of the hallway over Rei's body.

Jadeite roared, channelling another blast, the crystals around him glowing, *burning* with garish intensity and sparking chaotically with the Dark Kingdom's power. The energy travelled through the Shitennou's body and down his arms, which he flung out violently, as if the limbs were attached to puppet strings tugged too harshly by their master. The lightning filled the hallway, destroying the walls, cracking them wide open before they decayed under the vile forces unleashed.

"AKURYOU TAISAN!"

The energy struck the ofuda the Senshi's Grandpa swiftly brandished before him, the collision of mystic might emitting an almost blinding light. When Rei looked again she saw the ward held, its own energy, shining with all the innocence of sunlight and with all the strength sunlight could contain, keeping Jadeite's attack scant inches from devouring the priest who wielded it. The Dark Kingdom's power was devoured instead against the light, swallowed into the small ward's radiance.

Jadeite did not stop. More and more energy was drawn from the crystals and along his arms, a seemingly unlimited battery. Rei's Grandpa grimaced, the ofuda beginning to crumble at its edges and tiny tears opening in the middle of the paper. His ward was giving Rei the chance her own had not. But it wouldn't be for long.

With a cry Rei seized the crystal sliver stuck in her hand and tore it out, throwing it down. It rattled on the floor, vibrating, and all of sudden flew down the hallway to join the other shards hovering near Jadeite. The Fire Senshi made a fist-already her hand felt stronger. She rolled onto her back, her vision awash with the energy war above her, and brought her left leg up, the limb feeling as if it no longer belonged to her, weighing a ton. Nevertheless she grabbed the shaft in her calf-a dagger's length of crystal-and growled as she pulled on it. The crystal's edge cut her palm and fingers as she pulled, her growl turning into a defiant shout. It came loose, but not without its price in blood and flesh. Covered in her blood, the shaft flew back to its fellows.

Rei gasped, refocusing her hazy gaze on her Henshin Stick. Her Grandpa's ofuda seemed to be an ancient parchment now, the ink faded and the paper sallow; it looked as if a strong breeze could blow it apart. With red-slick hands Rei crawled, every inch a battle, but a battle won. Three inches left, two-one.

"Rei..." her grandfather said softly.

The girl looked up at him. He had nothing left. The Senshi of Fire and Passion grabbed her Henshin Stick.

The dark energy ceased; the sudden dearth abrupt. Rei's looked back towards her enemy-and saw her friend.

Yuuichirou had jumped on Jadeite's back, making himself a nuisance as only he could. He had locked an arm around the other man's neck, choking him from behind while the Shitennou struggled to get him off, banging against the corridor's walls.

"YUUICHIROU! *STOP*!" Rei screamed, her heart in her throat. It would only take a moment for Jadeite. Just a moment for him to-

The crystals orbiting the Shitennou froze-then fell upon Yuuichirou. Again and again they came down, hitting and stabbing, hurling sprays of blood against the ceiling.

"No! *NO*~!"

Jadeite grabbed Yuuichirou by the neck of his gi, dragging the limp figure off his back and over his head, before slamming him onto the floor of the Hikawa Jinja. Floorboards broke with the impact, creating a pit to cradle Yuuichirou as he bled out over the polished wood. Meanwhile the crystals gathered, overlapping once more to fashion a crude sword for Jadeite's hand, for the coup de grace.

Through one of the many holes in the jinja's walls two black shapes burst in, fluttering around Jadeite's face. He cried out, beaks pecking relentlessly as feathered wings battered against his head. The sword shattered into its parts, individual shards attempting to pierce the pair of creatures from the air. "Raargh!" Jadeite screamed in frustration, shooting glares between the agile Phobos and Deimos, Rei's Grandpa still on his feet, and the Fire Senshi herself with her retrieved Henshin Stick, blood streaking his angry features like tears. "The old man isn't your only family!"

With that, Jadeite vanished into shadow.

Rei's Grandpa released a heavy breath and dropped to one knee, one hand against what was left of the wall for support. The ofuda in his other hand seemed to take a moment itself; a final moment; drooping half over itself before bit by bit it flaked away, crumbling, until the tiniest scrap remained between the priest's fingertips.

"Yuuichirou...!"

Rei scrambled over to the young man's side as quickly as she could, mostly dragging herself along the floor. Her blood mixed with Yuuichirou's, a puddle surrounding his body. "Yuuichirou... you..." Rei wanted to hit him. She wanted to yell at him. But both behaviours seemed petty now. Instead the girl gingerly brushed the shaggy hair out of his eyes, his dark brown eyes that looked up at her.

"It's okay, Rei..." Yuuichirou spoke softly, solemnly, more solemnly than Rei had ever heard from him before. "This is my home too. You have to... defend your home. I wanted this." He smiled, and Rei began to think his eyes didn't really see her. "I'm... exactly where I should be."

"N-No... You shouldn't have... I-" Rei began, her voice thick. She was crying. She ran her hand down Yuuichirou's face, over the rough stubble on his jaw. "I didn't want this for you."

"*This* wasn't exactly my plan either," Yuuichirou joked, chuckling feebly. "But it was my choice. I wanted... I needed to help."

"You did," Rei hurried to agree, holding her hand to his cheek, "you did."

Yuuichirou smiled again, and his body noticeably relaxed. "In another life, Rei?"

"In another life... Yuuichirou."

"It doesn't even hurt, you know," the smiling young man whispered. "I can't feel anything."

Yuuichirou closed his eyes, the smile remaining.

"Call an ambulance!" Rei screamed at her Grandpa, as the elderly man stumbled over to join the miko at their friend's side. Her Grandpa looked his age, moving slowly and carefully, heavier creases all over a leathery face; the portrait of a tired and frail old man.

"I will, I will," her grandfather vowed, before he broke out into a fit of coughs.

On her knees, beside her dying friend, the Senshi of Fire could still feel it. Her Princess still called her. It was desperate and demanding. Rei needed to go.

"I... I have to..." How could she explain it?

"Go," her Grandpa said; nothing more from his granddaughter sought.

Rei gave him and Yuuichirou one last look each, and then ran from the Hikawa Jinja. She sprinted across the courtyard and through the torii, and raced down the jinja's steps two at a time, very nearly losing her footing on several occasions. There were no more government officials from her father waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, no one to aid her. Rei was on her own. *Usagi* was on her own.

In Rei's hand was her Henshin Stick still, coated in blood, her own and Yuuichirou's all over her. She knew where Jadeite's parting threat was directed. He *knew* about *her*. *Rei* *Hino*. Perhaps he knew about every Sailor Senshi. The last Shitennou wanted to hurt them, hurt them *deeply*. Jadeite had struck at her heart in the Hikawa Jinja. There was only one place he was heading now. There was only one person in her family Rei had left. And there was only one choice she could make.

The Fire Senshi dashed down the street, her every stride stronger than the last. Passersby looked at her. No doubt she was a sight to behold. But none of that mattered. She *had* to be there.

Rei grabbed for her mobile phone while she ran. The red casing was scored, probably having taken some hits during the fight, but it still had power. Jadeite was gone and had taken his signal jamming with him; however the watch communicators shared between Senshi were likely still non-functional wherever the other girls were, if Rei's instincts were right about what was going down today. Who she needed couldn't be reached by the watch communicator anyhow. Rei was on her own, but Usagi would *not* be. If there was anybody to help, there was only one person Rei could rely on, to go where she simply could not. For her Princess. For her father. For her.

* * *

"...But what I really want to do is *act*! Mr. Katsuyori has represented me off and on, but I haven't landed anything besides 'bystander number two', if you get me."

Minako peered up at Souda as if he was a peculiar, though cute, little creature while he waffled; her head low and askance as she continually sipped her juice through its straw on the table. Now that Hotaru had been fed and had come up with her excuses to run off to fresh, pink-haired, company, Souda was doing his best to make up for lost 'date' one-on-one time. There had been scarce moments for that during his chaperoning of the photoshoot-dolls weren't supposed to speak after all, just know their place. But the underwear job had gone sans drama, with Hotaru appearing to have liked it from how much staring she had done, and the subsequent lunch had been nice-Souda had taken the girls to a favourite alfresco cafe of his that he insisted had great toasted paninis. So far everything was going his way; the crumbs on Minako's plate were a tribute to that. And while the conversation wasn't exactly stirring, it wasn't banal either. It was just... normal. The Senshi of Love sometimes forgot what normal was like.

"Do you think I have a shot?"

"Hmm? The acting thing? You never know. I only imagined myself in magazines before; now I really am," Minako said around her straw. "I guess it's all about having hope."

"Yeah..." Souda replied, picking up his glass to take a thoughtful sip of his own juice. "You should try it too. Acting isn't so hard. It's just like playing pretend when you were a-" His words stuck in his throat suddenly, the blonde's remembered age giving him hiccups, "-you know, younger," he finished a bit guiltily.

"I bet I'd be a natural," Minako said with a smile.

Souda returned her smile somewhat giddily. Underneath his pretty looks that he was well aware of and his typical guy bluster, he was kind of shy and awkward; the sort of shy and awkward that was adorable. He wasn't anything special, but maybe that was to his gain. Minako had been holding out for someone 'special' for so long. For an ideal that was long gone. Maybe normal was fine. Maybe normal was what she needed.

"This is... this is... Anyone... *everyone*... please listen... Makoto, you have to... get to my mother... at the hospi-"

Souda eyebrows rose.

"Ah, m-my phone," Minako said quickly, dropping her arm under the cafe table and covering her watch communicator with her hand. "I must have sat on some buttons or something!"

Souda nodded, sipping at his juice again.

Something was happening. So much for a normal date. The Guardian Senshi tried to work her communicator; however it had become a dead hunk of metal. Should Minako go to Ms. Mizuno's hospital herself? Adrenaline was already pumping through her, making her anxious. The Senshi of Love and Beauty felt she should be doing *something*, going *somewhere* to *someone*. Maybe her phone was still okay? She could try to get in touch with Ami, see if-

"Minako, you are needed."

Minako jumped in her chair, the presence of Setsuna by the table certainly not something she had expected. "S-Setsuna! This is-! Uh, we were just having lunch, that's all!" The blonde felt as though she had been caught with her pants down, though not literally thank goodness. The guilt welling up rapidly within her still made it seem like she was in an uncomfortable place not far from that scene however. "We just finished a shoot!"

"Um... Hi, I'm Souda Tamaki," Souda greeted, giving a tiny wave.

Time's Keeper ignored everything but the Sailor Senshi inside Minako, her ageless eyes staring. "You have to be somewhere."

Minako got over her shock fast. "Right! That... that shoot!" She turned to Souda. "This is Setsuna Meioh. I still work for her and her Timeless brand now and then." The blonde turned her attention back to the older woman, getting up from the table to talk to her a couple of steps aside. "What's going on?" she hissed under her breath.

"An old..." Setsuna glanced at Souda watching nearby for a second," ...acquaintance."

"Should I go to Ami? She sounded-"

"No, I have-no," the Outer Senshi said. "You are one of the few who are unknown to him, as I am. What we choose... I have somewhere I want to go, and somewhere I'm *needed*. You must decide for yourself who to go to. We cannot be everywhere. Today will be day no one will forget no matter what paths we take. Such is fate."

"Then there's only one choice," The Senshi of Love and Beauty declared. There was always only one choice for her. "I need to go to Usagi." *Duty*.

Setsuna bowed her head in acknowledgement. Her eyes, always somewhat haunted by what she knew, seemed more so when Minako looked into them now.

* * *

To be continued...

Author's ramblings:

I'm always tempted to kill characters... though the price is altering the world permanently.

Freeter = Someone who goes from part-time job to part-time job.


End file.
